Forest clearance issue in Punjab finally resolved
*City distribution network yet to take off
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 6: The ambitious natural gas pipeline project aimed at ensuring an uninterrupted supply of clean energy to industrial and domestic consumers is expected to be completed in all respects in the month of December this year in the districts of Kathua, Samba and Jammu, while the work on the Punjab stretch and the city gas distribution network is still pending.
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Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the work on laying the gas pipeline is progressing at a steady pace, and nearly all the activities in Kathua and Samba districts have either been completed or are in the final stages, whereas work in Jammu district will begin shortly. “If the current pace continues, the work in these districts will be fully completed in December 2025,” the sources added.
The gas pipeline, being executed by GAIL India Limited, seeks to extend the national gas grid to Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. The project will connect the Union Territory with the rest of the country through a reliable natural gas supply network, facilitating clean fuel availability for industries, transport and domestic consumers.
Of the total 78 kilometers of gas pipeline being laid in the three districts, 37 kilometers fall in Kathua, 38 kilometers in Samba and the remaining in Jammu district. The pipeline will terminate along the Ring Road in Jammu district, and from that point, the city distribution network will be laid, sources informed.
“The progress was slowed down by the unprecedented rainfall in the month of August this year, but now the work is progressing well, and in December the entire work will be completed,” the sources said.
However, despite substantial progress in the Jammu region, the pipeline-laying work in the Punjab stretch, a crucial link to bring gas into Jammu, has been delayed due to forest clearance issues. “The alignment of the pipeline passes through forest areas in Punjab and the project was held up for a long time due to pending statutory clearances. The matter has recently been resolved, paving the way for the commencement of work,” the sources informed.
They added that once the Punjab segment is completed, the flow of natural gas into the Jammu network can be operationalized without further delay.
Meanwhile, an oil company, which has been assigned the task of developing the city gas distribution network, has yet to start physical work on the ground. This network is imperative to provide piped natural gas to households.
Sources revealed that although necessary permissions and route surveys have been completed, the actual laying of the city distribution pipelines and setting up of dispensing stations are still pending. “Once GAIL completes the main trunk pipeline, the oil company has to take over the city-level distribution to make the gas available to consumers. The delay in city gas distribution network work may defer the benefits to the end users,” they added.
According to the sources, formal sanction for the extension of the natural gas pipeline to the Kashmir valley has not yet been accorded to GAIL (India) Limited. “It is expected that following the completion of the gas pipeline laying work in Jammu, a decision will be taken about its extension to Kashmir,” they added.
It is pertinent to mention here that natural gas is one of the cleanest modern-day fuels for industrial and domestic use, being efficient and non-polluting. Due to its characteristic clean-burning nature and availability through a pipeline connection-which alleviates the need for local storage and other transportation logistics-natural gas has emerged as the fuel of choice.
The entire pipeline is three-layered polyethylene coated, supplemented by an impressed current cathodic protection system in order to protect the pipeline from external corrosion.
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