New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) State-owned gas utility GAIL Indiatoday said it has awarded job contracts for laying a 520-kmstretch in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal under the PradhanMantri Urja Ganga gas pipeline project.
With these awards, major contracts for phase-II of theJagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline(JHBDPL) project have been finalised.
In a press statement, GAIL said it has awarded the layingcontract for 520-km pipeline connectivity from Dobhi (inBihar) to Durgapur (in West Bengal) including a 120-km line toJamshedpur (in Jharkhand).
The prestigious 2,655-km long JHBDPL project, also knownas the 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga' project, will pass throughUttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
"The project will usher in industrial development in eastIndia by supplying environmentally clean natural gas tofertiliser and power plants, refineries, steel plants andother industries," it said.
The company said city gas network laying activity inVaranasi and Bhubaneswar has already commenced and activitiesin other cities, namely Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Cuttack andKolkata will start by next month.
City gas distribution will provide clean fuel tohousehold, transportation and other commercial sectors.
GAIL Chairman and MD B C Tripathi said the projectactivity of phase-I is at the advanced stage of construction,which will supply gas to Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna andBarauni.
"Though certain hindrances are being encountered in RoU(Right of Use) opening, GAIL is putting all-out efforts toovercome the hindrances and complete the phase-I before thescheduled completion of December 2018," he said.
With the award for pipeline to Durgapur and Jamshedpur,GAIL till date has already awarded contracts over Rs 6,000crore covering phase I and II of the project, he said.
GAIL, Tripathi said, is executing 4,000 kms of naturalgas pipeline, which will cover Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka.
The state-owned Maharatna is making huge investment inthe pipeline to fulfil the government's vision of the NationalGas Grid. The capex of GAIL for the next financial year isexpected at over Rs 6,000 crore, a jump of more than 50 percent over the current financial year, he said.
With these, the activities of phase–II of JHBDPL and citygas projects along the pipeline route will also gain momentumand GAIL is committed to completing the project within thecost and schedule. PTI ANZARD.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.