KOCHI: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared the Kochi-Koottanad-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline project. Though the MoEF has given the ‘go ahead’, the details are yet to be received, a top official with the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) said.“The implementation of the project is a joint effort involving different departments. Clearance by the MoEF is a primary step towards the realisation of the project,” Vandana Chanana, general manager, (corporate communication), GAIL, told Express.The Ministry had earlier declined clearance to the project owing to an unresolved court case about the ownership of land in the Koottanad Forest Division through which the pipeline passes.The project is being implemented by the Kerala Gail Gas Ltd, which is a joint venture company of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and Gail Gas Ltd, a GAIL subsidiary.The pipeline takes a deviation to Bangalore and Mangalore from Koottanad. The total length of the pipeline is 1,168 km and the cost of the project is estimated at Rs 3,263 crore.In Kerala, the pipeline will pass through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts. The project aims at providing natural gas for industrial purposes. The pipeline, which will pass through the Kanjikode forest area, requires five acres of forest land.
Comments
0 comment