The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in India has the , which has streamlined the framework to improve infrastructure and the ease of doing business in the country.
The order has been notified under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 amid the need to expand the pipeline network as well as the disruption of liquefaction facilities in the Gulf region and continued blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
The government aims to address possible hurdles in the expansion of piped natural gas, such as denial of access to land, delay in approvals and granting of right of way or right of the user on the land, as well as high fees and charges. To address these issues, the order standardises fees and charges, and has set timeframes for completion. This is expected to encourage industry participants to lay pipelines, and transport natural gas and petroleum products in a timely manner.
The order took effect on 24 March 2026, the date of its publication in the extraordinary gazette of India.
Authorities have seven days to seek clarifications and documents for applications they receive for establishing new pipelines and related work. Varied timelines have been set for different types of applications submitted to the authorities in part II of the order’s first schedule.
Following an application approval, applicants have four months to lay the pipelines and establish its associated facilities.
