Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers call off strike, Gujarat State Petronet Ltd's cross-country pipeline project back on track

AHMEDABAD: The farmers protesting at borders of the national capital deciding to call off their year-long protest comes as a major relief to Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (GSPL) for its ambitious cross-country gas pipeline project linking Mehsana in Gujarat to Bathinda in Punjab. The 1,625-km pipeline, with an estimated project cost of Rs 5,500 crore passes through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. It was stuck in the three states outside Gujarat for about a year, as some farmers in these three states refused to part with their land for the project till their pending demands with the Centre were met. In all, work on 50-60km of the underground pipeline could not be completed due to the farmers protests, said a state government official with direct knowledge of the project. A major part of the incomplete pipeline project, about 45km in Punjab, has seen fresh discussions starting with farmers over the last few days, the official added. At Sirsa in Haryana, some 100-150 farmers who were protesting had set up a base close to the 6km stretch near the highway where the pipeline is to be laid. “They have all agreed to extend support the project after Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month announced the repealing of the three farm laws that were enacted in September last year. In Rajasthan too, problems have been resolved. In fact, the work on the pipeline in these two states will be completed very soon,” said another Gujarat government official. The natural gas trunk pipeline project, which passes through Ajmer in Rajasthan, also faced delays in implementation near Jaipur during the second wave of Covid-19 due to labour issues. A consortium led by GSPL has formed a special purpose vehicle called GSPL India Gasnet Ltd to implement the project. GSPL has a 52% stake in the SPV, with Indian Oil Corp Ltd holding 26%, and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd having 11% each. The project comprises a 840-km main line of 36 inches diameter and a 785km spur line with 24 inch, 18 inch, 12 inch and 8 inch diameters. The pipeline project is part of Prime Minister Modi’s plan for the National Gas Grid. The pipeline will supply gas to fertilizer companies, refineries and city gas distributors along the route, who have already signed gas offtake pacts. The Rajasthan government recently said it plans to facilitate industrial growth along the Mehsana-Bathinda gas pipeline project in sectors like ceramics, glass, metal casting, textile and others. “In Punjab, GSPL will have to re-negotiate the compensation amount offered to farmers through whose land the pipeline will pass. The revised prices will have to be on lines of compensation offered by GAIL recently for their project in the same region,” said an industry expert. Ushering in Change: The pipeline will traverse through Gujarat (47km), Rajasthan (1,334km), Haryana (200km) and Punjab (66km). It will connect operational LNG terminals in Gujarat at Dahej, Hazira and Mundra and upcoming ones at Chhara and Jafrabad in Gujarat It will supply gas to fertilizer companies, refineries and city gas distributors along the route, who have already signed gas offtake pacts. It will connect Indian Oil Corp’s Panipat refinery, HPCL-Mittal Energy’s Bathinda refinery and HPCL’s under-construction refinery at Barmer, among others

The Times of India

2021-12-10

Ahmedabad