PNG or LPG Connection Stuck? Use RTI for a Written Answer

This is the standard pattern in PNG-laid cities — applications sit for months past the published connection timeline, and the helpline rarely gives a written reason. The PIO at the City Gas Distributor (CGD) or the OMC area office, however, must answer in writing in 30 days under the RTI Act 2005 — and where a CGD returns the application saying it is a “private company”, the same questions can be asked of the PNGRB, which regulates every CGD (see counter section below).

You have probably already tried the helpline (your CGD's toll-free — IGL, MGL, Adani Total Gas and GAIL Gas each run one; 1906 LPG emergency; 14428 toll-free helpline; 14438 Ujjwala helpline; 1800-22-4344 Bharatgas), the portal (igl.co.in, mahanagargas.com, adanigas.com, mylpg.in, https://pmuy.gov.in for Ujjwala) and maybe the distributor's WhatsApp. They can work — when they do.

• Helpline / portal: the agent or auto-ticket can mark your complaint “resolved” with “in queue” or “site survey scheduled” — no reason needed, no appeal, no deadline.
• PNGRB grievance: real route, but it asks for the basis on which the CGD held up your file — which only an RTI gives you.
• RTI: the PIO must give you a written reply with reasons within 30 days under §7(1) of the RTI Act 2005. If they don't, you file a First Appeal for free under §19(1). Then a Second Appeal to the State Information Commission (SIC) or the Central Information Commission (CIC for OMCs / GAIL), where penalties of up to Rs 25,000 can be imposed on the silent PIO under §20.

In short: the helpline is a request. An RTI is a legal claim on your right to know. And the written reply is admissible evidence if you go to PNGRB or to consumer court. New to RTI? Start with RTI in 12 simple steps; the fee modes state by state are in RTI forms + fees by state.

The PIO sits at the regional / area office that covers your service address — not the corporate HQ.

For PNG (piped natural gas) — find the City Gas Distributor (CGD) authorised under PNGRB for your area:

• Delhi-NCR (Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram parts): IGL — Indraprastha Gas Limited
• Mumbai metropolitan + Thane + parts of Raigad: MGL — Mahanagar Gas Limited
• Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat etc.) + Faridabad + Khurja + many other GAs: Adani Total Gas
• Pune, Bengaluru, parts of Andhra, Karnataka, MP: GAIL Gas / GGCL / Maharashtra Natural Gas / Aavantika Gas
• Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore): Indian Oil-Adani Gas, IndianOil-Adani Ventures (IOAGPL)
• Smaller cities: check the PNGRB City Gas Distribution map at https://www.pngrb.gov.in

For LPG (cylinder) — find the OMC and your distributor:

• IOCL Indane — distributor name on your LPG passbook / mylpg.in profile
• HPCL HP Gas — distributor name on passbook / myhpgas.in
• BPCL Bharat Gas — distributor name on passbook / ebharatgas.com
• PMUY (Ujjwala) — distributor + status at https://pmuy.gov.in

Find the regional / area office at the CGD portal under “Contact Us” or on the OMC distributor receipt. Note the full postal address.

Each CGD and OMC has a notified PIO / RTI officer under §5(1) of the RTI Act (if a CGD refuses as a “private company”, refile through PNGRB — see the counters section):

• IGL: PIO at the IGL regional office (e.g., Noida regional office, Gurugram, Karol Bagh)
• MGL: Manager (Customer Care) at MGL HQ Mumbai or zonal office
• Adani Total Gas: PIO at the regional office (Ahmedabad HQ or city-wise)
• GAIL Gas: PIO at the city office; HQ at GAIL Bhavan, New Delhi
• IOCL / HPCL / BPCL: PIO at the Sales Area Office (SAO) or the State Office of the OMC; for distributor-level disputes, also write to the Senior Area Manager (LPG)

You don't need their personal name — the title is enough.

The Public Information Officer
[CGD / OMC name], [Regional / Area Office]
[full postal address]

The First Appellate Authority (FAA) is one rank above — usually the Regional Manager / Senior Manager (Customer Care) / Deputy General Manager.

• Indian Postal Order (IPO) for Rs 10, payable to the company (e.g., “Indraprastha Gas Limited”, “Indian Oil Corporation Limited”). Buy from any post office. Most reliable.
• Demand Draft (DD) for Rs 10
• Online payment at https://rtionline.gov.in (works for OMCs as central PSUs; some CGDs have their own RTI portal)
• Cash at the dak counter — get a stamped receipt

If you are Below Poverty Line (BPL), the fee is waived under §7(5) — attach a copy of your BPL ration card. PMUY (Ujjwala) beneficiaries also enjoy this waiver in practice.

Keep your questions specific, factual, and answerable in writing.

[Your full name]
[Service address — same as application]
[Phone] · [Email]
[Date]

To,
The Public Information Officer
[CGD / OMC name], [Regional / Area Office]
[full postal address]

Subject: RTI application under §6(1), RTI Act 2005 — status of new
PNG / LPG connection application

Sir/Madam,

I am an applicant for a new PNG / LPG connection from [CGD / OMC name].
I request the following information under §6(1) of the Right to
Information Act, 2005, read with the Petroleum and Natural Gas
Regulatory Board Act, 2006 [for PNG] / the LPG Control Order, 2000
[for LPG]:

Application Number / CRN: [number]
Service connection address: [address]
Date of application: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Security deposit / fee paid: Rs [amount]
Receipt / payment reference: [reference]
Category: [Domestic / Commercial / PMUY (Ujjwala)]

Information sought:

1. The current status of my above-mentioned application/connection,
   in writing, with date-wise file movement.
2. The specific reason for delay beyond the timeline published in the
   Citizen's Charter / PNGRB authorisation conditions / OMC service
   commitment.
3. The name and designation of the dealing official, marketing
   officer, network engineer, and area manager presently handling
   the file.

[For PNG, also add:]
4. Whether the trunk pipeline and the in-society lateral has been
   laid up to my building / floor; if yes, the date of completion.
5. Whether NOC from the RWA / society / building owner has been
   received; if not, the date of the last reminder issued by the CGD
   to the RWA, and the channel (letter / email).
6. Whether the gas meter and regulator are in stock at the regional
   stores; if not, the expected stocking date.
7. The date of the safety inspection (PNG) carried out / scheduled
   at my premises by your authorised gas engineer.

[For LPG, also add:]
4. Whether my KYC documents (Aadhaar, address proof, bank account
   for DBT subsidy) are in order on the OMC system; if any mismatch,
   the exact field and the correction format required.
5. Whether the cheque / DD / online payment for the new connection
   security deposit has been realised; if returned, the bank reference
   and reason.
6. The date of the LPG distributor's home delivery survey, and the
   officer who carried it out.
7. Cylinder + regulator + suraksha hose stock position at the
   distributor as of the date of this RTI.

[Common to both:]
8. A copy of the citizen's charter of [CGD / OMC name] indicating
   connection timelines and any compensation or refund payable for
   breach of the timeline under PNGRB / OMC norms.

Fee: I enclose Indian Postal Order No. [number] dated [date] for Rs 10
in favour of "[CGD / OMC name]".

I declare that I am a citizen of India.

Thank you,

[Signature]
[Name]

Use Registered Post with Acknowledgement Due (AD) — about Rs 50. Tracking + proof of delivery.

• Take the application + IPO to the post office
• Ask for “Registered AD”
• Keep the receipt — your dated proof of filing
• The pink AD card returns signed by the CGD / OMC office in 7-10 days

You can also hand-deliver at the regional office's reception and ask for a stamped acknowledgement on a duplicate copy. Either is valid under §6(1).

The 30-day clock starts the day the office receives your application (date on the AD card, not the date you posted).

• Day 30: Reply due. If silence, proceed to Step 7.
• Day 31 onwards: This is §7(2) deemed refusal. You can file a free First Appeal immediately.

The PIO's reply usually falls into one of these patterns. Take the matching action:

1. “Pipeline not yet reached your building” — ask for the PNGRB-approved network roll-out plan for your GA (geographic area) in a follow-up RTI; PNGRB authorisations have time-bound MWP (Minimum Work Programme) targets that can be enforced.
2. “NOC from RWA / housing society pending” — the illustrative case above. Take the RTI reply to the RWA monthly meeting; the public naming usually moves things.
3. “Gas meter / regulator out of stock” — push to the General Manager (Operations); PNGRB norms require continuous stocking.
4. “KYC mismatch (LPG)“ — fix on mylpg.in / distributor app; refile.
5. “Cheque bounced / DD lost” — get bank confirmation, attach to fresh DD, ask for receipt.
6. “Safety inspection pending” — request a fresh inspection date in writing; cite the Citizen's Charter timeline.
7. “Distributor change-over (LPG)“ — under OMC rules, change-over has to be completed in 7 working days; escalate to OMC State Office.
8. “PMUY / Ujjwala — pending document” — write to the District Nodal Officer (PMUY) + LPG Sales Area Office; PMUY beneficiaries get priority.

A First Appeal is also free, also by registered post, also a 30-day clock. The FAA is the Regional Manager / DGM (Marketing):

To,
The First Appellate Authority
(Regional Manager / Deputy General Manager)
[CGD / OMC name], [Regional / Area Office]
[full postal address]

Subject: First Appeal under §19(1), RTI Act 2005

Sir/Madam,

I filed an RTI application dated [original date] (acknowledged by your
office on [AD date]). The 30-day reply window under §7(1) ended on
[day 30]. I have received [no reply / a vague reply not addressing my
questions]. I therefore file a First Appeal under §19(1) of the RTI Act
2005.

I attach: (a) copy of the original RTI, (b) postal AD acknowledgement,
(c) the PIO's reply if any.

I request that the FAA direct the PIO to provide the information sought,
and pass any further orders the FAA deems fit, including action under
§20 for the deemed refusal.

[Signature]

If the FAA also fails to respond in 45 days (the §19(6) cap), file a Second Appeal to the Central Information Commission (CIC) at https://cic.gov.in for OMCs (IOCL/HPCL/BPCL/GAIL — central PSUs) or to the State Information Commission (SIC) for state-jurisdiction CGDs. Both accept e-filing; hearings are mostly by video conference.

For sectoral grievance — independent of the RTI — use the PNGRB grievance route at https://www.pngrb.gov.in (PNG) or write to the Director (Marketing) at the OMC HQ for LPG.

PIOs sometimes try to refuse with these grounds. Each is wrong for a gas-connection RTI; here is the counter:

• “Private company — RTI Act doesn't apply.” For LPG, plainly wrong: IOCL/HPCL/BPCL are central PSUs — squarely public authorities. For CGDs, the position is contested: IGL, MGL, Adani Total Gas and GAIL Gas all carry statutory authorisation under the PNGRB Act, 2006 and publish a Citizen's Charter, but a 2007 CIC order declaring IGL a public authority was stayed by the Delhi High Court in September 2007 in Indraprastha Gas Limited v. Central Information Commission (W.P.(C) 6759/2007) and the matter remains sub-judice. The workable route is the one the CIC itself recorded in an order dated 11 August 2017 — IGL “will provide information to PNGRB, concerning the processing of individual cases of gas connections”. If the CGD's PIO refuses, refile the same questions with the PNGRB, a public authority under §2(h) which regulates every CGD.
• “§8(1)(d) — commercial confidence.” Invalid. Your own application file, the network status of the laid pipeline in your society, and the safety inspection report are about your service, not commercial trade secrets.
• “§8(1)(e) — fiduciary relationship.” Invalid. Aditya Bandopadhyay v. CBSE (2011) 8 SCC 497 settles this — your own records held by a public authority must be disclosed to you.
• “§8(1)(j) — personal information.” Frequently misapplied to refuse names of dealing officers. Names of public servants doing official duty are out of scope.
• “Approach the helpline first.” Not a valid ground for refusing an RTI. Both can run together.
• “PNGRB authorisation contains commercial terms.” The Citizen's Charter portion and the connection-timeline commitments are public; only genuine bid-stage commercial data is protected.

1. PIO (Regional Office) — 30 days
2. §19(1) First Appeal to the FAA (Regional Manager / DGM) — 30 days to file, 30+15 days to decide
3. §19(3) Second Appeal to the CIC (for OMCs and central CGDs like GAIL Gas) or SIC (for state-jurisdiction issues) — no fee, e-filing accepted
4. PNGRB grievance at https://www.pngrb.gov.in — sectoral regulator for PNG / CNG / city gas
5. OMC HQ — Director (Marketing) for LPG — Mumbai (BPCL/HPCL), New Delhi (IOCL)
6. District Nodal Officer (PMUY) + State Mission Director, PMUY for Ujjwala beneficiaries
7. State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission under Consumer Protection Act 2019
8. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for systemic / policy delays

Read next: The RTI Playbook for the full filing and appeal method; RTI in 12 simple steps if this is your first RTI; RTI for a delayed electricity connection, RTI for a delayed water connection and RTI for a stuck PF withdrawal for the same template in other departments; RTI forms + fees by state; all utility helplines on one page.