Bathinda-Srinagar gas pipeline stuck in political quagmire

Haryana Govt yet to accord clearance to the Rs 880-crore project

The 750-km-long gas pipeline between Bathinda and Srinagar via Jammu has been hanging fire following “political and administrative differences” between the J&K and Haryana Governments.

The BJP-led Haryana Government is yet to accord clearance to the project, which has great importance for the hilly and mountainous Jammu and Kashmir.

The Rs 880-crore project was envisaged to connect J&K with the National Gas Grid through a pipeline and ultimately link individual households with gas stations through a network of supply lines for round-the-clock supply of cooking gas, especially during winters when the Kashmir valley remains covered under snow.

The project was supposed to be completed within 36 months, but it has been facing political and bureaucratic hurdles since its approval in June 2012. The project was to be executed by M/S Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL).

“The delay in execution of project has prompted the PDP-BJP government to again take up the matter with their Haryana counterpart,” a source said.

Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Choudhary Zulfikar Ali admitted that there were political issues which had stalled the progress of the project.

“We are still waiting for the clearance from the Haryana Government. There had been some political and bureaucratic issues which caused inordinate delay in the execution of the project. Earlier, there were different governments, both in Haryana and J&K as well as at the Centre. The executing agency, a Gujarat-based firm, has taken up the matter with the Haryana Government,” the minister told.

The minister said the state government would also take up the matter with the neighbouring state for early clearance to the project.

“As far as J&K is concerned, we have completed almost all codal formalities, including land acquisition and no objection certificate from the Forest Department, to lay the gas pipeline from Lakhanpur to Jammu,” he said.

“The process to acquire land and complete other formalities is in progress,” Zulfikar said, adding that they had also proposed to bring all “lateral districts”, including Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Doda and Kishtwar, under the project so that these areas were also supplied cooking gas round-the-clock.

Last year, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had shot a letter to his Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda, seeking his personal intervention “to sort out administrative hiccups” in the project.

The project had earlier faced legal impediments with regard to the acquisition and use of land as Jammu and Kashmir enjoys a special status under the Article 370.

Later, the state government had to bring an ordinance to facilitate the land acquisition process for early start of work and hassle-free activities for laying the gas pipeline.

The proposed gas pipeline, which would originate from Bhatinda, would pass through Haryana, and cover eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir up to Srinagar.

The Deputy Commissioners of all the districts concerned have been told to ensure hassle-free land acquisition proceedings.