Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Jaya urged to intervene in Gail row


Chennai:
Chemical Industries Association has urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to help resolve the row over Gas Authority of India Limited’s (Gail) liquefied natural gas project in the state by calling a meeting of Gail authorities and local farmers.

In an appeal to the chief minister, the secretary of Chemical Industries Association N S Venkataraman said that the delay in GAIL’s LNG pipeline project in the state is a cause for concern but at the same time the farmers should be heard and their misgivings should be allayed to ensure smooth completion of the pipeline project at the earliest.

He said the farmers are not against the project but are opposing the move to lay the pipeline through the farmlands. “GAIL has obliged to farmers of Kerala by laying the pipeline along the 30 km stretch of National Highways after they protested against the GAIL move to have the pipeline pass through their field. The farmers want similar measures should be taken in Tamil Nadu,” the association said.

The association said that GAIL authorities have failed to anticipate such issues while designing the pipeline route earlier and their lack of planning is glaring, Venkataraman added.

“While GAIL claims that all steps have been taken to ensure the safety of pipeline, the apprehensions of the farming community have not been allayed about the long term impact on their livelihood,” he added.

The 310 km GAIL pipeline between Kochi and Bangalore runs through Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. The pipeline is expected to pass through around 136 villages in seven districts in Tamil Nadu. “The project can promote economic and industrial growth in a substantial way in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka by facilitating investment in several natural gas based projects, using natural gas both as feedstock for downstream industries and as fuel for much needed power projects,” he adde

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