Mizoram to get piped natural gas by 2028 as Indradhanush Gas Grid lays 119.45-km pipeline

Aizawl/Agartala, October 26 (IANS) Mizoram is expected to get piped natural gas (PNG) connections for domestic cooking purposes by early 2028, with the Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) currently constructing a 119.45-km pipeline linking Panisagar in northern Tripura with Aizawl, officials said on Monday.  Mizoram Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister B. Lalchhanzova, accompanied by senior officials, on Monday visited Tuidam in Mamit district to inspect the ongoing work on the Panisagar-Aizawl pipeline, being developed under the Northeast Gas Grid Project.The minister said global conflicts and the resulting disruptions in energy supplies had caused periodic shortages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Mizoram, affecting domestic cooking arrangements. To address these challenges and ensure a reliable supply of cooking fuel, an investment of around Rs 9,265 crore is being made under the Northeast Gas Grid Project to lay 1,656 km of natural gas pipelines across the Northeastern states, he said.According to the minister, under the project, IGGL is connecting Mizoram with the Tripura Natural Gas Company Limited (TNGCL) at an estimated cost of Rs 491 crore. The initiative will initially cover Mamit and Aizawl districts. The pipeline is expected to reach Mamit town by March-April 2027 and Sihhmui in Aizawl district by March-April 2028.Following the completion of the main pipeline by IGGL, TNGCL will begin providing PNG connections to households and other consumers in the two districts, bringing cleaner and more convenient cooking fuel to the state, Lalchhanzova said.He expressed hope that access to natural gas would also facilitate the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles in Mizoram, as in other states, helping reduce dependence on conventional liquid fuels.The minister urged IGGL officials to expedite the work to ensure that people in the state could access piped gas at the earliest. He also assured the company of the Mizoram government's full cooperation in completing the project.The minister stressed the need for close coordination among government departments, district administrations and local communities to ensure the timely completion of the project. During the inspection, the minister also reviewed infrastructure-related issues along the Tuidam approach road.Officials noted that several stretches along a 1.5-km section of the pipeline route required widening. To ensure that the work did not interfere with existing road repair plans, IGGL and Public Works Department (PWD) officials held discussions on-site to coordinate their activities.Of the pipeline’s total length of 119.45 km, around 15.105 km will pass through six villages in Tripura, while the remaining 104.345 km will traverse 20 villages in Mizoram before connecting to Aizawl.IGGL, a joint venture promoted by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), GAIL (India) Ltd, Oil India Ltd (OIL) and Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), is implementing the pipeline project as part of the Northeast Gas Grid.TNGCL currently supplies natural gas to domestic, commercial, industrial and transport consumers across various districts of Tripura. Established on July 10, 1990, the company is a joint venture of GAIL (India) Ltd, Tripura Industrial Development Corporation Ltd and Assam Gas Company Ltd.