PATNA, June 9 -- Bihar chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit on Monday directed oil marketing companies (OMCs) to accelerate city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure in the state after the government agreed to provide deemed approval for land required for urban gas pipeline projects to expedite piped natural gas (PNG) rollout. Reviewing the state's fuel supply situation, Amrit also instructed OMCs to ensure uninterrupted supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel and PNG across Bihar amid concerns over delays in LPG deliveries and slow expansion of PNG connections in several districts, officials said. During the meeting, officials said Bihar currently has over 1.21 lakh live domestic PNG connections against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) target of 3.75 lakh connections by March 2026, achieving about 32.3% of the target so far. Officials said PNG adoption had gained momentum in recent months, with more than 10,600 domestic PNG connections becoming operational in May alone. Overall natural gas consumption in the state has increased by 22% compared to March 2026 levels, equivalent to the consumption of nearly three lakh households. However, the review highlighted major bottlenecks in CGD expansion, including a shortage of skilled manpower, slow mobilisation of contractors and delays caused by adverse weather conditions. In Muzaffarpur, where Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is implementing PNG rollout, only 19,816 connections have become operational against a target of 43,259. Similar shortfalls were reported from Begusarai, Katihar, Saharsa, Banka and Darbhanga. Amrit also reviewed the LPG supply situation amid rising complaints of delayed cylinder deliveries. As of June 7, Bihar had more than 16.21 lakh pending refill bookings with an average delivery backlog of 4.45 days. Muzaffarpur reported one of the highest delivery backlogs at 5.51 days with around 1.12 lakh pending refills, while Patna had nearly 1.79 lakh pending bookings with an average delivery delay of 4.96 days. Officials said enforcement drives against LPG black marketing and irregularities had been intensified across the state. Till June 7, authorities had conducted over 73,000 inspections, seized 2,348 cylinders and lodged 155 FIRs. Amrit also reviewed petroleum stock availability amid concerns over fuel supply....