MUMBAI, April 2 -- As Mumbai continues to grapple with an acute LPG shortage, the focus is now also on PNG, or piped natural gas. Residents across the city say they are facing prolonged delays in securing PNG connections, despite follow-ups and, in many cases, infrastructure already being in place. In March, enquiries for new connections jumped fourfold. Unlike LPG, domestic PNG supply has suffered no disruption after the West Asia war broke out, and the state government has mandated that every Mumbaiite secure a PNG connection where infrastructure is available. The appeal of PNG also lies in its reliability and convenience - no booking, no waiting and, until now, no shortage for domestic consumers. In Chembur, though, Ashish Arora, who moved into Le Jarden building about a month ago, says although the building has a PNG connection, connections are yet to be given to individual flats. Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) told him the process would take 90 days. "I was surprised. It is work that can be done in an hour," Arora said. In Sion-Koliwada, residents of Owners Colony, a cluster of 29 bungalows, say they applied for PNG in early February, drawn by its cost and safety advantages. Despite the infrastructure being in place, they remain unconnected. "MGL has told us it will be done in 25 days. When the pipes are in place, why should it take so long," said Nitesh Ahuja, 32, an advocate who lives in the colony. In a Bandra building, progress has stalled for more than a year. "There's a PNG line at our building's gate, and pipes have been installed right up to our flats but connections have not bene given. "All this while, MGL did not tell us why the work stopped but, yesterday, we received a call claiming it would be resumed," a resident said. At Bona Vision Heights in Vakola, 35 flats and around 95 residents, are in limbo. Romeo Menezes, 55, said the building finally received confirmation on August 7, last year, that work would proceed. "After repeated follow-ups, we were told the matter had been 'escalated'. Today, they told me the permission has been granted by the BMC and work will start soon," he said. In Ulwe, a rapidly developing neighbourhood in Navi Mumbai, the wait has stretched into years. In Orchid Tower, a 12-storey building, residents have waited seven years for PNG. The building was constructed in 2018 and had applied for a PNG connection that same year but received no update until 2021, when MGL began laying a pipeline. Work halted when the MGL crew encountered a bounder along the planned route and couldn't proceed. "Similar challenges have been resolved elsewhere but we have no update," said Narendra Tandel, 63, chairperson of the housing society. An attempt to reroute the pipeline through an adjoining building didn't go anywhere. According to residents, MGL had approached the neighbouring building with a proposal to redirect the line, but consent was not granted. "They said it is a new building and once the inauguration takes place, they will consider the proposal," said a resident. He added, "MGL has since asked us to approach the building. It's MGL's responsibility, not ours," Tandel said. An MGL spokesperson said the company has seen a sharp surge in demand, with domestic connections rising over 200% in March, to around 50,000 from 16,000 in February, while daily enquiries increased four to five times. He said infrastructure has been laid in several residential complexes in anticipation of approvals, though last-mile connectivity in some areas continues to face challenges such as nallahs, ongoing infrastructure work, traffic constraints, narrow lanes, encroachments and underground congestion of utilities including high-tension cables. These issues are being addressed as MGL's teams work on the ground with residents to connect maximum households to PNG within the next three months, he said....