Sonowal pitches for tural gas for fuelling growth

GUWAHATI, Oct 25: Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal has pitched for drawing a roadmap for economic utilization of tural gas reserves in the State which is critical for running four refineries and fertilizer plants, besides providing power to tea gardens.

Chairing a meeting with the Secretary of Union Ministry of Petroleum and tural Gas KD Tripathi, ONGC CMD Shashi Shankar and IoC CMD Sanjiv Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday, Sonowal said that in the wake of widely used conventiol sources of energy was depleting tural gas has come to stay at the present day situation. Assam being rich in reserves of tural gas, there should be symbiotic approach between the Centre and the State for optimum utilization of this resource, a press release said.

Referring to an ambitious tri-tiol gas pipeline project with Bangladesh and Myanmar, Sonowal said that the proposed gas pipe grid would link Sitwe in Myanmar’s Arakan to Mizoram and Tripura in Northeast India and Chittagong in Bangladesh. The same pipeline which would extend to West Bengal on the Indian mainland and Assam and other Northeastern states on the eastern side should also extend up to Digboi, Sonowal professed.   

Sonowal also asked the CMDs of ONGC and IOC to scale up their expansion plan and augment their installed capacity to reap the business potentials emated from the Act East Policy. He also said that pumping in more resources on the part of the ONGC and IOC in Northeast would help in exploring the new reserves of tural gas and hydro carbon in Assam in particular and Northeast in general. Sonowal emphasized that tural gas would be very critical to fuel thermal power plants in Assam.

Sonowal requested CMDs of oil companies to prepare an exhaustive presentation to be made during the proposed Global Investors’ Meet in Guwahati highlighting the investment opportunities in oil and gas sector in the State as well different forays that the oil majors have made in pursuit of the expansion plan. He also sought the oil companies’ involvement in Dibrugarh riverfront beautification project in Dibrugarh.

Science and Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta, Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, Additiol Chief Secretary Ravi Capoor, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohiya were also present at the meeting.