Parliament Question: Mandatory pre-commissioning safety audits conducted by PNGRB

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3486 ANSWERED ON - 23/03/2026 MANDATORY PRE-COMMISSIONING SAFETY AUDITS CONDUCTED BY PNGRB 3486 SHRI HARIS BEERAN: Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state: (a) whether the PNGRB conducted the mandatory pre-commissioning safety audits for the high- pressure gas pipelines intersecting the Kochi Metro Phase-II alignment under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 2025; (b) if so, the scientific basis for the metro authority reporting an unmapped pipeline detection causing project delays in February 2026, contradicting NDEM mapping guidelines;and (c) if not, the specific legal basis for ignoring spatial data synchronization mandates? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI) (a) to (c) Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has notified Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Third Party Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2015, which mandates all City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities to establish comprehensive system to ensure compliance with the provisions of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and Specifications including Safety Standards for City or Local Natural Gas Distribution Networks) Regulations, 2008, encompassing the conduct of technical and safety audits by internal and Third Party Inspection Agency (TPIA) empanelled by PNGRB, with time-bound compliance of observations. Kochi falls under the Ernakulam District Geographical Area (GA), which has been authorised by PNGRB to Indian Oil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd. (IOAGPL) for development of the CGD network. IOAGP has laid and has been operating a 64 km high-pressure natural gas steel pipeline network, that was commissioned in the year 2018, with requisite approvals from PESO. M/s IOAGPL has informed that the T4S & IMS audit and re-audit of the entire high-pressure gas network was conducted by PNGRB empanelled TPIA’s in November 2021 and October 2025, respectively. Out of the 64 km network, 2.6 km section required shifting as per M/s Kochi Metro Rail Limited along the left-hand side (LHS) of Civil Lane Road up to Padamugal and same was completed on 01.01.2026. Latest Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan (ERDMP) certification audit was done in November 2022 and is valid till November2027. M/s IOAGPL has certified that all observations/non- conformities observed in the TPIA audits has been complied. The entity has implemented GIS-based mapping of its pipeline network in accordance with PNGRB regulations and has shared the relevant spatial data on the PM Gati Shakti platform. ******