Mangaluru, Aug 4: The work on laying the natural gas pipeline in the 83-km stretch of GAIL (India) Limited’s Kochi-Koottanad-Bengaluru-Mangaluru (KKBMPL) pipeline project is progressing without any hassles as the company along with the Revenue Department has completed the process of assessing the compensation to landowners for acquiring Right of User (RoU) under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipeline (P&MP) Act, 1962.
GAIL officials said that ‘panchanama’ activities in the entire notified RoU stretch from Kadavaathur village to Puthur village (in Kerala) was completed for assessing the compensation payable to landowners and for confirming that no houses were falling under the notified area. They said that the survey had found that the notified area did not have any houses.
GAIL Chief Manager (Construction) N.S. Prasad said that the company had taken possession of the land for sectionalising valve (SV) stations in three villages. The Kerala government had also accorded approval for negotiated purchase of balance of private land at three villages for the remaining intermediate pigging (IP) and SV stations in the villages, he said. The pipeline laying contract had been awarded to a contractor company.
He also said that the scheduled completion time was July 2018.
Though the 20-metre width was initially proposed for RoU as per the general practice of GAIL, it had been restricted to 10 metres considering the directions of the State government.
Informing that acquisition of RoU was already done for 20 metres, he said that the space would be used for movement of heavy machinery for laying 24-inch diameter pipeline.
He also said that GAIL would pay crop compensation for entire 20 metres and land compensation for 10 metres. Mr. Prasad said that restrictions under the P&MP Act would be limited to 10 metres only.
Mr. Prasad also said that GAIL officials continued to talk to local people to clear their fears and anxieties about the project.
He also noted that 80% of the pipeline stretch passed through paddy fields and land under cultivation.
The project comprised modern systems to examine the safety of the pipeline, he said.
The natural gas pipelines had been laid in 18 States in the last 35 years and no mishap was reported. Though some people had challenged the acquisition process in the High Court, the notification was upheld by the court directing GAIL to conduct work within the notified RoU area only. The court’s order was being fully complied with, he said.
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