While the BJP and AIADMK promise free LPG Cylinders in their election manifestos for both Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections in the Southern States seem to be an afterthought.
To reduce dependence on LPG cylinders, the central government has been pushing for PNG, and 8 lakh new connections have been established in the past month alone, according to a ToI report. However, this growth has been concentrated in northern and western India.
As of January 31, 2026, data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) shows that Maharashtra leads with around 43 lakh domestic PNG connections, followed by Gujarat with 37 lakh and Uttar Pradesh with 21 lakh. The states of Maharashtra and Gujarat together account for nearly half of India's total 1,64,81,940 domestic PNG connections.
These large numbers are also reflected in consumer experiences from these states. “I have a PNG connection from Adani Total Gas Limited. It's much more convenient because there’s no need to refill. Most other houses in Ahmedabad also have piped gas,” said Anvi D, an advertising professional from Ahmedabad. Yuvraj B, who works as a digital marketer in Pune, added that his PNG connection was added in 2020 and that regular maintenance checks help keep the infrastructure intact.
Among the southern States, Karnataka leads with around 5.6 lakh connections, and Kerala is at the bottom with just 1.4 lakh. “I have heard about PNG, but I don't think it's possible to get a connection here,” said Hari, a 46-year-old doctor from Kochi.
From 2024, South India combined has added only around 95,000 connections, whereas Gujarat alone has added 3.8 lakh new connections.
Due to data revision or actual disconnections, the data also shows that Karnataka saw a decrease of around 2 lakh connections from 2024. Though individual growth rate percentages for these states are higher, the actual numbers reveal a stark difference between the southern and northwestern regions.
A major factor in PNG's growth is the number of City Gas Distributors (CGD). The southern states, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, have a limited number of entities and are often led by PSUs or a few private players.
In contrast, western and northern states have a dense presence of multiple City Gas Distribution companies, such as Adani Total Gas, Mahanagar Gas, and Indraprastha Gas, which enables faster expansion. Since the PNG rollout is centrally regulated through bidding processes, this growth largely depends on pace and prioritisation.
However, amid the recent LPG crisis and elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, both states have seen a sudden rollout of PNG connectivity in areas such as Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Nilgiri, and Chennai. Alongside existing operators, newer private players like Think Gas are entering the Kerala market, indicating broader participation by CGDs. If this hype persists equally across all regions, perhaps India's One Nation, One Gas Grid initiative can finally be achieved.