NEW DELHI: An industry committee has recommended a nationwide shift to smart prepaid metering for domestic piped natural gas (PNG), calling it a “critical and forward-looking reform” for the sector.In a report submitted recently to Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), the committee said the shift is essential to address long-standing challenges such as billing inefficiencies, consumer defaults, high operational costs, safety risks and limited visibility on consumption and network performance.It has recommended installation of smart prepaid meters on all new connections within six months of regulatory amendments, along with a four-phase rollout plan to replace existing conventional meters.As of Jan 31, there were nearly 1.65 crore domestic PNG connections, besides 48,568 commercial and 21,512 industrial connections, of which 1.03 crore were active. Amid global disruptions in LPG supply, govt has accelerated PNG adoption, with 4.8 lakh connections gasified since March and 5.3 lakh new registrations recorded.While some gas companies have begun installing smart meters on a limited scale, they are using different technologies in absence of standardised guidelines and necessary regulatory changes.The five-member panel, headed by PNGRB secretary Anjan Kumar Mishra, carried out a detailed technical and economic assessment and held consultations with gas companies before making its recommendations.Since gas companies stand to gain most from the transition — through lower bad debts, reduced manual billing costs and improved cash flows — committee has suggested that the additional costs on account of the change should not be passed on to consumers but absorbed by CGD entities.