Ahmedabad: City Gas Distribution (CGD) companies in Gujarat have more than doubled their field workforce as applications for piped natural gas (PNG) connections have surged following LPG shortage in the wake of West Asia conflict and resultant new govt rules mandating a shift from LPG to PNG in notified areas.CGD majors such as Gujarat Gas, Adani Total Gas and Sabarmati Gas are ramping up manpower through contractors to accelerate installations, while also investing in training to bridge a shortage of skilled plumbing and pipeline workers. Sources said workers are earning around Rs 18,000-20,000 per month depending on skill levels.Gujarat Gas, which serves nearly 70% of notified regions in the state with about 22 lakh customers, is now receiving 800–900 applications daily, up from 300-400 earlier. “We have scaled up contractor-deployed workforce from around 1,150 in February to 2,450 currently,” a senior official revealed.The spike follows revised norms aimed at reducing LPG dependence and accelerating PNG adoption, under which consumers in notified areas will have to surrender their LPG connections where piped gas is available.The govt has also tightened Right of Way timelines, with approvals deemed granted if local authorities fail to respond within prescribed deadlines.Adani Total Gas has also added around 300 workers through contractors, including over 200 in Ahmedabad alone, where it serves more than six lakh customers. Since March, it has been receiving roughly 500 new connection requests daily. Sabarmati Gas, operating across five districts of North Gujarat, has seen applications triple from about 60 a day in Feb to 180 now, and has doubled its contractual workforce to 340.Industry executives said manpower remains a key constraint, particularly for plumbing and household connection work. Companies are tying up with ITIs and vocational institutes to train workers and meet demand. “Finding trained manpower at this scale is a challenge. Dedicated training programmes are now being rolled out,” an industry official said.Consumers, meanwhile, are responding swiftly to the policy push. “We had access to PNG for years but only applied recently. The process was smooth and quick,” said Jean D’Souza, a resident of Ahmedabad.
