Residents of Ashiana Sector G and nearby localities in the state capital remained without cooking gas for two days after telecom line excavation damaged a Piped Natural Gas (PNG) pipeline on Tuesday evening, disrupting supply to nearly 12,000 households. Restoration work was still underway till late Wednesday evening.
The breach occurred around 4:30 pm on Tuesday during excavation work for telecom line laying in Ashiana Sector G. The damaged pipeline affected households in Ashiana, Bangladesh Bazar, LDA Colony, Kanpur Road and surrounding areas, leaving kitchens non-functional across several neighbourhoods.
For residents, the prolonged disruption severely affected daily routines and meal preparation. “This is a daily struggle,” said Ashish Srivastava, a resident of Sector MD-1, LDA Colony. “We rely on PNG for every meal. Thirty hours without it is more than just a delay, it is real hardship.”
Dr A Chandra, a resident of Ashiana, said the issue was reported to Green Gas on Tuesday, but supply had not been restored till late Wednesday evening.
“The breach was reported yesterday, but families are still waiting. The response has been slow,” he said.
Praveen Kumar, deputy general manager, marketing, Green Gas Limited (GGL), said the repair process was delayed as the pipeline was damaged at multiple points and supply was yet to be fully restored. “The breach occurred at multiple locations. While repairing one leak, another emerged,” he said. “Now, with the telecom contractor present at the site, the major breach has been identified. It will still take a few more hours to fully restore supply.”
He said the company’s immediate priority was restoring supply, after which action would be initiated against the contractor.
“Our present priority is to restore PNG supply. After that, an FIR will be filed against the contractor,” Kumar said.
A spokesperson for the telecom company acknowledged the contractor’s role in the incident. “The inconvenience is regretted. Our team has been working with Green Gas for the last 12 hours to fix the fault,” said S Srinivasudan Rao, spokesperson of the telecom company.
Officials said such incidents are frequent in Lucknow. Around 25-30 PNG pipeline breaches are reported every month, amounting to nearly 300 cases annually across the city.
Most breaches occur during municipal construction work, telecom projects and excavation by private contractors, exposing gaps in coordination among agencies.
The issue has become more serious after the Centre barred households with access to PNG from keeping or refilling domestic LPG cylinders. Under the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas order, households with available PNG connections must shift fully to the PNG system. The amended order came into effect on March 14, 2026.
For GGL, the city’s primary PNG supplier, repeated damages are also causing financial losses. The company purchases PNG worth ₹35-40 crore every 15 days, while pipeline damage leads to losses of ₹1-1.5 crore every month.
“We clearly mark our pipelines and display emergency contact numbers before digging, but communication between contractors and agencies remains poor,” said Kumar. “Our supply directly impacts kitchens and food. Currently, around 84,500 families rely on our service.”
He added that around ₹15 crore worth of PNG is lost annually due to such breaches.
Officials said earlier attempts had been made to improve coordination. During former municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh’s tenure, a WhatsApp group was created to allow departments and Green Gas teams to share details of planned excavation work in advance.
However, the group is no longer active, leaving no central platform to alert agencies before digging.
Residents said repeated disruptions were affecting daily life.
Sunita Verma, a homemaker in Gomti Nagar, said, “Last month, our gas supply was cut off for 12 hours. We had to cook outside our kitchen. No one informed us when it would be fixed.”
Officials warned that damaged PNG pipelines also pose safety risks, including fire hazards. “Even a small leak is dangerous. Coordination is not just about money, it’s about lives,” said a Green Gas official.
Green Gas has urged authorities to revive digital communication channels, introduce centralised tracking of excavation work and ensure compliance with pipeline safety protocols.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said, “Coordination before digging is crucial. Efforts will now be made to ensure all departments communicate before roadwork begins.”
ADM (Civil Supplies) Jyoti Gautam said similar coordination measures are also being planned with agencies such as Lucknow electricity supply administration (LESA), as excavation-related damage often disrupts electricity supply in nearby areas.
www.hindustantimes.com
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