Ground breaking ceremony of the Rs 6,000 crore LNG Terminal was held at Dhamra port in Odisha's Bhadrak district today.
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan performed the Bhumi Pujan in the absence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The 5 MMTPA capacity LNG terminal would play a major role in accelerating the process of development and economic growth in eastern India, Pradhan said.
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Construction of the LNG import terminal would involve an investment of Rs 6,000 crore, while a 2539 km long network of pipeline to transport gas would be laid at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore, the petroleum minister said.
The network would connect 13 districts of Odisha and states like Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, Pradhan said.
Stating that the country now has only one gas terminal in Gujarat, Pradhan said that natural gas would now be brought to Bhadrak from countries like America, Canada and Qatar.
The natural gas from the terminal would also be supplied to various city gas distribution networks in the eastern India.
While households in various cities would get piped gas, motor vehicles and industries would get cheaper and clean fuel, the Petroleum Minister said adding it would create vast employment opportunities for the the youth of Odisha.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was supposed to perform "Bhumi Pujan", skipped the programme. So did the BJD MP and MLAs from the area. In Patnaik's absence, Pradhan conducted the "Bhumi Pujan".
Pradhan said the chief minister had been invited to the function but it was learnt last night that he would not be attending it.
Since the gas infrastructure project is set to boost economic growth in Odisha and the entire eastern region, the chief minister's presence would have been proper, Pradhan said.
BJD spokesperson and MP Pratap Keshari Deb said the chief minister had given consent to attend the function as it was a government programme. However, he decided to stay away when it was understood that it would become a political event.
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