Centre revises Oman pipeline alignment

GANDHINAGAR, Sept 10: In an significant development, the Union Environment Ministry has taken strong exception to the State Government ha...

GANDHINAGAR, Sept 10: In an significant development, the Union Environment Ministry has taken strong exception to the State Government having cleared the 8220;controversial8221; proposal allowing Bharat Oman Refineries Limited BORL to lay a subsea/on-shore pipeline through the national marine park in the Gulf of Kutch near Vadinar in Jamnagar district.

The Ministry has asked BORL to change the alignment of its subsea/on-shore route incorporated in its original proposal so that marine life, especially the coral reef, in the ecologically fragile Gulf of Kutch is not disturbed.

Confirming receipt of a written directive to Forest and Environment Department, sources in the Sachivalaya on Thursday told Express Newsline that this would would be conveyed to BORL.

In the light of this development, certain senior BORL officials, including Bharat Petroleum Corporation8217;s managing director J B S Hazooria, are likely to hold discussion with the Government in the next couple of days, the sources said, adding Hazooria was, in fact, to visit Gandhinagar on Thursday but he could not make it.

A change in the alignment of the subsea pipeline route would entail additional financial burden on BORL as it would have to take a longer route for laying the pipeline skirting the park. 8220;The possibility of BORL incurring about Rs 100 crore more can8217;t be ruled out8221;, the sources said.

Last week The Indian Express had reported that Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel had cleared the environmentally and politically controversial proposal for setting up crude oil import facilities near Vadinar and a pipeline through the State for the Rs 7,000-crore Indo-Oman refinery project at Beena in Madhya Pradesh.

The file was cleared by Patel with minimum fuss and fanfare, keeping concerned ministers and officials in the dark, and the proposal was sent to Delhi for approval. Ironically, the Patel Government had earlier turned down the clearance for the project on the grounds that it posed a threat to marine life in the Gulf of Kutch. But, Patel8217;s volte face was attributed to the 8220;wishes of two BJP big bosses 8211; Atal Behari Vajpayee and Kushabhau Thakre 8211; who are eager to see the project through8221;.

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Former RJP chief minister Dilip Parikh had observed that 8220;Keshubhai Patel has cleared the project to please Thakre who is keen to see the multi-crore project through in his home State of Madhya Pradesh so that his party can extract political mileage in the coming Assembly elections there8221;.

In fact, the Ministry has been expressing concern over the large number of projects coming up in the Gulf of Kutch.