NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 450 kilometre (km) gas pipeline, on Tuesday, January 5, which joins Kochi with Mangalore. This project of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is worth Rs 3000 crore and will bring the two states of Kerala and Karnataka closer to the National Gas Grid.
The state-run gas facility will make the life of people in the state easier by giving clean fuel at affordable prices to households, city transport services and industries. The project will bring clean fuel to Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka, and will pass through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala.
The Kochi-Mangalore gas pipeline project is a part of the 938-km Kochi-Koottanad-Bengaluru-Mangalore (KKMBPL) pipeline which is being built across Kerala (510 km), Tamil Nadu (310 km) and Karnataka (70 km). KKMBPL is being built to supply the gas which is imported in ships at Kochi. PM Modi said that this project is an important step towards creating a “One Nation, One Gas Grid”. He added that there is need for gas based economy to make the country self-reliant as it diversifies the energy basket to ensure energy security. He said that the work is in progress to double the natural gas pipeline network in the next 5-6 years. He ensured that number of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations will also be increased to 10,000 from the present 1,500.