GUWAHATI: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said Assam would soon become a major centre of world trading in the export of petroleum products to the South East Asian countries.
“Under Act East Policy, Assam will become an important centre of world trading as it will send petrol and diesel to Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the South East Asian countries,” he said in Guwahati after dedicating eight projects in the sector to the nation.
Pradhan insisted on the extraction of more oil in the next five years saying it would augment Assam’s economy. Stating that the Northeast has a huge deposit of gas, he said the development of infrastructure is required to be able to tap it.
“Assam is rich in natural resources. We need infrastructure if we want to increase gas production. The oil companies have been asked to contribute to the development of infrastructure,” he said.
The eight projects Pradhan dedicated to the nation were upgradation of pump stations of Naharkatiya-Barauni crude oil pipeline, Greenfield, rail fed POL storage terminal at Digboi, capacity augmentation of LPG bottling plant in Silchar, GGS Borhola to Jorhat CTF crude oil trunk pipeline replacement, capacity augmentation of LPG bottling plant in North Guwahati, effluent treatment plant-cum-water injection plant at Lakhmani, mounded LPG storage at Numaligarh Refinery and Swargadeo Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha Multi Speciality Hospital in Assam’s Sivasagar.
He also announced the commencement of work of the KB Malaviya National Oil Museum at Guwahati. With five galleries, 3-D theatre, outdoor signs etc, it will showcase the rich history and heritage of the petroleum industry in India.
The Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 outlines steps to leverage the hydrocarbon sector for social and economic development of the Northeast. It aims to prepare a roadmap to increase the production of oil and gas in the region and outline the necessary investment in the hydrocarbon sector to increase exploration activities, expand the piped natural gas network and ensure availability of petroleum products in the remotest corners of the region. The Northeast plays an important role in achieving this target as it is endowed with huge untapped natural resources and is acknowledged as the Eastern Gateway of India’s Act East Policy.