India and Bangladesh in talks for a gas pipeline from Chittagong to Tripura

The Dollar Business Bureau

The Minister of Petroleum and Natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that his Ministry has taken up with the Government of Bangladesh for laying a pipeline carrying natural gas from Chittagong to Tripura to address the cooking gas shortage of the North East.

In his response to the media in which he revealed the intentions of the Indian government, he said, “We are laying a pipeline for transportation of diesel from Siliguri in West Bengal to Parvatipur in Bangladesh. There is pipeline for carrying diesel from Numaligarh oil refinery in Assam to Siliguri. In exchange, we have given the proposal for a gas pipeline from Chittagong to Tripura. We are pursuing the matter diplomatically and I would also visit Bangladesh soon.”

The pipeline once approved by the Hasina government would be laid adjacent to the railway lines which pass near the Indo-Bangladesh border, the minister added.

Launching the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in Tripura, Pradhan distributed LPG connections to 20 families who have been categorised as below the poverty line.

The Minister also laid the foundation for a bottling plant with 60 TMTPA capacity with an estimated cost of Rs.143 crore, which is likely to be completed by 2019. With the new bottling plant in the State, the minister expressed satisfaction that the supply of LPG would be doubled and cover most of the homes.