Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 1: While as Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech announced gas pipeline project for J&K, status of earlier announced same project is not known to the residents of the Union Territory (UT).
The Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline project was nearly ten years back but this project remained only on paper. This project was announced in the year 2011 but successive governments failed to execute this project on the ground.
Today Union Finance Minister in her budget speech, “Our government has kept fuel supplies running across the country without interruption during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Talking not of the crucial nature of this sector in people’s lives key initiatives are being announced. These include a gas pipeline project in the UT of J&K, which will be taken up this year.” She went on to add that 100 more cities will be added in the next three years to the gas distribution network. Although the gas pipeline project for J&K was announced ten years back, those involved in the execution of this project adopted delay tactics resulting in unofficially abandoning the visionary project.
The 725-kilometre gas pipe line was to be passed through districts of Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Anantnag and Srinagar and land in this regard was also identified in Samba and Kathua districts. Aim of formulating this project was to ensure uninterrupted supply of gas to the consumers in landlocked Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) in 2011 had authorized a company to lay Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline to ensure gas supply for industrial, commercial and domestic use in J&K.
• July 2014 was fixed as the deadline for laying pipes in the districts so as to execute the project as early as possible.
• The then Governor of J&K, Satya Pal Malik had approved amendments to the J&K Underground Public Utilities (Acquisition of Rights to User in Land) Act, 2014 to increase the timeline for completing the gas project.
• The deadline for completion of the project was extended by the end of year 2019. |
