Government’s main promise fulfilled with inauguration of GAIL pipeline, says Vijayan

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the main promise given by the State government to the people was fulfilled by the realisation of the GAIL natural gas pipeline.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony of the Kochi-Mangalore pipeline, the chief minister said, the government overcame all obstacles by addressing the legitimate concerns of the people. He recalled that in 2014, GAIL had suspended all work on the pipeline due to problems.
Of the 450 km-long Kochi-Mangalore pipeline, 414 km is in Kerala. It is natural for people to face small difficulties when implementing big development projects. But despite the difficulties, the people cooperated with the project. This is because the government has been able to convince the people that this project is essential for the all-round development of Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said.

The project was completed after overcoming many cases and protests. The biggest challenge was to pipe through densely populated areas, hilly areas and under rivers. But GAIL officials worked resolutely to complete the project. The Chief Minister congratulated the GAIL officials. District administrators, police and various government departments worked together to overcome the obstacles. Despite the challenges such as the floods, the Nipah and the COVID-19 epidemic, the workers worked tirelessly to complete the project. The Chief Minister also congratulated them.

The completion of the pipeline will help expand the city gas supply chain. Thereby, the availability of natural gas for domestic use will increase. The project will help in the development of FACT and the realization of the proposed petrochemicals park. The CM said that this would bring great development in the energy sector as well.
Center praises Vijayan

Dharmendra Pradhan Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister thanked the Kerala chief minister for his support in making the GAIL pipeline a reality. This grand project would not have been completed without the support of the Chief Minister. The Union Minister said that the joint efforts of the Central and State Governments to complete the GAIL project are an excellent example of cooperative federalism.

The GAIL natural gas pipeline was approved by the Central Government in 2010. The project is to pipe natural gas from the Kochi LNG terminal to Mangalore and Bangalore. The project was approved in 2010 but until 2016, only 48 km of pipeline was completed. When the people protested, the then government backed down. The previous UDF government did nothing to address the concerns of the people or provide them with fair compensation. Gail ended the whole affair without exception. The Rs.4,500 crore LNG terminal at Puthuvaipin had become a huge liability for the central government.

The project was revived in 2016 after the Pinarayi Vijayan government came to power. The compensation was doubled. Populated areas were excluded as much as possible. In other States, 30 meters of pipeline is being taken up. Here it was shortened to 20 meters. It was later limited to 10 meters. Those with less than 10 cents of land were given the opportunity to build a house on it. They were also given Rs.5 lakh as relief. Compensation for crops was raised.

The government has constantly intervened to address the concerns and grievances of the locals regarding land acquisition, compensation and security. The chief minister directly and continuously evaluated the progress of the project. He himself intervened to remove the obstacles. As a result, the government was able to lay 330 km of pipelines within the first 1,000 days. Other States are trying to move forward on the successful Kerala model. GAIL officials themselves testified that no other State in India has received as much cooperation and support as it did during the tenure of this government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Kerala and Karnataka for completing the project. The project will make a significant contribution to the economic development of both the States. Mr. Modi said that the success of the project proves that nothing is impossible if we stand together.

Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor of Karnataka Wajubhai Wala and Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yeddyurappa were also present on the occasion via video conference.