One year after PM inaugurates it, Guwahati-Barauni gas pipeline stuck at Panikhaiti

Guwahati, May 20: The natural gas pipeline from Barauni to Guwahati is stuck at Panikhaiti on the city outskirts, and GAIL is yet to commission the last leg of the project, more than a year after it was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the receiving end is city gas distributor Purba Bharati, which is supplying piped gas to the first lot of consumers in the city. Purba Bharati is sourcing the gas from Duliajan. The CNG stations in city are also at loss, it is learnt.

Due to issues with the contractor, a 2.5-km stretch of the natural gas pipeline from Panikhaiti to Noonmati has been delayed inordinately. The State government is learnt to have moved the Centre, but sources said that looking at the progress of work, it is unlikely to be completed soon.

Officials said Purba Bharati has laid 764.95 kilometers of MDPE pipeline and 43.108 kilometers of steel pipeline in Kamrup Metro and Kamrup. Over 30,693 domestic consumers have been registered, with 6,175 households having completed last-mile connectivity.

Despite the connections, the initial supply piped gas has been provided to just 101 households as the city gas distributor continues to miss milestones due to the GAIL pipeline delay.

Purba Bharati is setting up a station at Baihata Chariali. The GAIL’s pipeline has been commissioned till that area, and once the station is ready, natural gas can be sourced from there instead of Duliajan.

According to data in the GAIL portal, of the 727 km Barauni-Guwahati Natural Gas Pipeline, 717 km was commissioned till March last year and another nine km is under construction. This pipeline project was originally scheduled for completion in December 2021. The original project cost of the gas pipeline was Rs 3308 crore, but the revised cost has shot up to Rs 3992 crore.