Amaravati, Mar 23 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to prepare an action plan to transition from LPG to piped natural gas (PNG) to address ongoing supply challenges. He emphasised expanding PNG connections to households across the state and ensuring full utilisation of available capacity.
Reviewing the situation, officials informed him that while 2.34 lakh PNG connections are available, only about 60,000 have been taken so far.
The Chief Minister set a target of achieving full utilisation and instructed that each district should receive at least 10,000 new connections.
Naidu also called for immediate steps to restore the Srikakulam–Kakinada gas pipeline and directed officials to write to the Union government in this regard.
He asked for orders to be issued to the AP City Gas Distribution Network and said a “Natural Gas Policy for Promotion in Commercial Sector” should be brought before the next Cabinet meeting.
Highlighting the ongoing gas shortage as an opportunity, Naidu encouraged the adoption of electric alternatives such as induction stoves and electric cookers.
He further directed that LPG cylinder supply be prioritised for institutions including schools, hospitals, anganwadis and canteens.
Officials said an average of 1.8 lakh LPG cylinders have been supplied daily for domestic use over the past five days, with 14,444 metric tonnes of reserves currently available.
The Chief Minister also reviewed crop losses caused by recent unseasonal rains and asked officials to submit a detailed report by March 26.
He stressed the need to focus on crop management and diversification, noting significant growth in agricultural output.
Separately, Naidu highlighted the success of AI-driven systems in managing pilgrim flow at Tirumala, stating that improved queue management has reduced waiting times and enabled up to 20% more devotees to have darshan.
He said similar AI integration should be adopted across departments to enhance public service delivery.
He also called for increased use of IoT devices, sensors, CCTV data and drones to improve governance efficiency and agricultural productivity, while stressing the need to strengthen digital infrastructure and bandwidth across the state.
TNT KM
Leave a Reply