(Image source from: businessworld.in)
Two LPG bottling plants and one pipeline project in the Durgapur-Banka section are the projects that PM Modi announced.
September 13 marks a big day for Bihar as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch three big petroleum projects in the state via video conferencing.
The projects include the Durgapur-Banka section pipeline project along Paradip, Haldia and Durgapur, along with two LPG bottling plants.
The projects have been commissioned by Indian Oil and HPCL under the ministry of petroleum and natural gas authorization.
The 193 km long pipeline project along the Durgapur-Banka section is built by Indian oil and is apart of the augmentation project of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur section.
The foundation stone for this project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2019. The Durgapur-Banka section project is the extension of the existing 679 km long Paradip-Haldia LPG pipeline to the new LPG bottling plant in Banka of Bihar.
The pipeline is of 14-inch diameter and it passes through states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar for 60, 98, and 35 km respectively.
At present, the LPG injection can be made through the pipeline system from Paradip refinery, Haldia refinery, and IPPL Haldia.
Upon completion of the whole project, the LPG injection facility will also be available from the Paradip import terminal and from the Barauni import refinery.
Laying of this pipeline along the Durgapur and Banka section required the state to cross many man made hurdles and also natural ones.
A total of 154 crossings were bridged including 13 rivers, 5 national highways and 3 railway crossings to make way for the pipeline project.
This long pipeline was laid under the river beds through the state of art horizontal directional drilling technique that does not disturb the natural water flow of the rivers.
Meanwhile, the LPG bottling plant at Banka in Bihar will increase the self reliance of the Bihar state as this project meets the rising demand for LPG in Bihar.
The bottling plant project has been built at an investment of around Rs. 131 crores to serve the districts of Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, and Katihar in Bihar along with the districts of Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, and Pakur in Jharkhand.
The project has the LPG storage capacity of 1800 Mts and the bottling capacity of 40,000 cylinders per day and also this bottling plant would generate direct and indirect employment opportunities in Bihar.
Another LPG plant at Champaran in Bihar has been constructed at the cost of Rs. 136.4 crores. This plant has been constructed in 29 acres of land and the foundation stone was laid by PM Narendra Modi on April 10, 2018.
This bottling plant project will serve the requirement of LPG in the districts of Champaran, Muzzafarpur, Gopalganj, Sitamarhi, and nearby places.
By Gayatri Yellayi
