With a group of farmers in Uttarakhand up in arms against the proposed Karanpur-Moradabad-Kashipur gas pipeline, the Gail (India) Ltd is treading a cautious path to address their concerns.
In what is being seen a major boost to the gas distribution and power projects in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh, Gail commenced the construction work of its 182 km long gas pipeline from the industrial town of Kashipur in Kumaon region during the weekend. But the farmers belonging to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) headed by Mahendra Singh Tikait have expressed reservations against the land being acquired by Gail.
Concerned over the issue, Kashipur’s local BJP MLA Harbhajan Singh Cheema has made a passionate appeal asking the farmers not to put any roadblocks in the development work being undertaken by the Gail. However, Cheema said issues related to farmers should also be addressed as they want adequate compensation.
The Gail is investing Rs 250 crore in the project where the design capacity of the pipeline will be 2.5 MMSCMD. The pipeline will pass through two major districts of Badaun and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to reach Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand.
The pipeline will supply gas in Uttarakhand and to other industrial customers in Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh. Our focus is to supply gas for gas-based power projects and city gas distribution companies.
The pipeline will be built in two phases. In the first phase, 101 km of the pipeline will be laid from Karanpur to Kashipur along with connecting pipelines to various power plants, industrial consumers and city gas consumers. In the second phase, a 58 km long pipeline will be laid from Kashipur to Rudrapur/Pantnagar.
When contacted, the spokesman said B C Tripathi Gail chairman and managing director has already met a group of farmers and assured them that their concerns would be addressed within the technical feasibility of the pipeline.
“Gail has to take all the points in cognizance with the government notification and a team will be constituted to examine the possibility of accommodating the issues of the farmers and the broad framework of the technicalities,” the spokesman added. All steps would be taken by the company to clear the doubts of the farmers and a concerted effort would be made to incorporate minor modification in the pipeline spread in line with the interest of the farmers to the extent possible and within the limits of technical feasibility, the company said.