Bathinda and Srinagar gas pipeline awaits Haryana clearance

PDP-BJP govt yet to take up matter with neighbouring state

The prestigious project of laying the 750-km-long gas pipeline between Bathinda and Srinagar via Jammu continues to be stuck as the PDP-BJP coalition government has not been able to sort out the “political and administrative” differences with Haryana government over the venture.
Highly placed sources said the ruling dispensation hasn’t taken keen interest in the project as it is yet to take up the matter with the BJP government in Haryana “to amicably sort out the political and administrative differences” between them.
“The process of laying the gas pipeline will start from Gujarat. All the states, except Haryana, have issued a ‘no objection certification’ (NOC) for the project. Earlier, there were different governments, both in Haryana and J&K as well as at the Centre and Gujarat. Now, all these states as well as the Centre have the BJP in power. The administrative and political hiccups should have been sorted out by now but we are still awaiting clearance from the Haryana government due to the casual approach of the state government,” a source said. Sources said the executing agency would take at least three years to complete the project after getting a clearance from the Haryana Government.
“Work is in progress on the project in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. In other districts, the authorities are yet to complete the land acquisition process,” the source said.
The proposed gas pipeline will originate from Bathinda and cover eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir up to its tail end in Srinagar after passing through Haryana. It will be connected with the National Gas Grid at Mehsana in Gujarat.
The Rs 880-crore project was envisaged to connect J&K with the National Gas Grid through 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 winter when the Kashmir valley remains covered with snow.
The project was supposed to be completed within 36 months but it had been facing political and bureaucratic barriers since its approval in June 2012. The project was to be executed by Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL).
“No progress has been made on the project so far. We will soon take up the matter with the Haryana Government to get all issues resolved,” Shafiq Ahmad Raina, Administrative Secretary, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, told Kashmir Post.
The PDP-BJP coalition government, headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has completed almost three months in office but it is yet to resolve the outstanding contentious issues which had been stalling the project.
Reservations over land acquisition?
Official sources say the Haryana Government has shown reluctance to give the NOC to the project following “certain reservations over acquisition of land” and some technical glitches. “The Punjab Government has already cleared the project but political differences had earlier cropped up between J&K, Haryana and Gujarat because of different political parties ruling these states,” a source said.