Gurdaspur-Jammu Tawi Gas Pipeline Project
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Jan 10: After completing the public consultation process, the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), has invited bids from the interested entities for laying of the 175 kilometres long gas pipeline from Gurdaspur in Punjab to Jammu, a senior PNGRB official said.
“We have invited online applications-cum-bids from the interested and eligible entities for authorization of Gurdaspur-Jammu Natural Gas Pipeline with an initial system capacity of at least 2.0 million metric standard cubic meters of gas per day (MMSCMD) under Regulation 5 of PNGRB (Authorizing Entities to Lay, Build, Operate or Expand Natural Gas Pipelines) Regulations, 2008,” Mohammad Tanweer Ahmed, Joint Secretary, PNGRB told the Excelsior.
According to him, the public consultation process to lay the gas pipeline started on September 29, 2022 in terms of Regulations 5(1) of the PNGRB NGPL Authorization Regulations.
“The views/comments of the persons/stakeholders/entities as part of the public consultation process were invited in writing regarding the originating point, terminating point, route along with the indicative map/ minimum capacity and source of the gas for the proposed Gurdaspur-Jammu Natural Gas Pipeline within 30 days of publication of the notice on PNGRB website, on September 29,” he said.
Further, the PNGRB Joint Secretary, Mohammad Tanweer Ahmed said: “The views/comments received from various entities/stakeholders were webhosted on the website of the PNGRB for information of the public. An open house discussion with stakeholders who offered views/comments was also held on November 9, last year after which we’ve invited the bids from interested entities for laying of the pipeline.”
Tanweer said the bid document downloading and the process for the submission of the bids started on January 6, 2023.
“A pre-bid conference for addressing the queries of the stakeholders/entities shall be held on February 7, 2023 while May 8, 2023 has been fixed as the last date for downloading the bid document and submission of the bids,” he added.
According to the senior PNGRB official, the technical bid opening date has been fixed as May 10, 2023.
“After the opening of the technical bid on May 10, this year”, he said: “The successful bidder will start the surveying process, preparation of the proposed gas pipeline route and come up with the expected expenditure figures to lay the pipeline between Gurdaspur and Jammu. Thereafter, the PNGRB will issue the authorization for laying of the pipeline.”
As per a sample bid document available on the website of the PNGRB, the tentative route of the Main Trunk Pipeline shall be Gurdaspur-Pathankot-Kathua-Samba and Jammu City.
“The originating point of the 175 kilometers gas pipeline shall be Gurdaspur [GIS coordinates: Latitude: 31.668891, Longitude: 75.429860] and the termination point shall be Jammu City,” read the sample bid document.
It also read, “Under the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, Network Planning Group in its 27th meeting held on July 19, 2022, had recommended the proposed pipeline project with the suggestion that realignment of the pipeline along the Right of Way (RoW) of the upcoming Amritsar-Katra expressway to the extent possible may be explored.”
“Accordingly, the bidder may explore the possibility to utilize the Right of User (RoU) on the upcoming Amritsar-Katra expressway directly in consultation with concerned Ministry/authority,” it reads.
Pertinently, the first time a gas pipeline project for Jammu and Kashmir, then known as Bathinda-Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Gas Pipeline Project, was conceived in the year 2011 when Omar Abdullah was heading a coalition Government with the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PNGRB on July 7, 2011 had even granted the authorization for laying, building, operating or expanding the natural gas pipeline along the route of Bathinda-Kathua-Jammu-Srinagar under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Authorizing Entities to Lay, Build, Operate or Expand Natural Gas Pipelines) Regulations, 2008, to M/S Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL).
But the project couldn’t move ahead due to tough terrain related challenges owing to which the PNGRB had to foreclose the contract of GSPL.
The fresh project to lay a 175 kilometers pipeline between Gurdaspur in Punjab and Jammu and Jammu and Kashmir was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2020 budget speech.
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