The Hindu : National : Pipeline project as planned: Aiyar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 30, 2006

National

National

Pipeline project as planned: Aiyar

Special Correspondent

KUMBAKONAM: Minister for Panchayati Raj, Sports and Youth Development Mani Shankar Aiyar on Sunday said the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project would go on as scheduled irrespective of who held the Petroleum portfolio.

Asked what would happen to the project as he had been divested of the portfolio, Mr. Aiyar said: "It is [a] routine affair. The file is with the Ministry." Discussions had been held among Iran, Pakistan and India on the project. Ministers of the three countries would participate in a conference in Teheran in March on the project. The Cabinet would then take a decision.

Vasan's induction

Asked about the induction of G.K. Vasan in the Union Ministry, Mr. Aiyar said he welcomed it. This would be useful for Mayiladuthurai constituency as there were now two Union Ministers — Mr. Vasan from Sundaraperumal Koil, near Kumbakonam, and himself from Mayiladuthurai.

A reshuffle had been in the offing for quite some time and now it had been done. He was asked to hold the Petroleum portfolio only for 20 days in May 2004. This time, he had completed 20 months.

Mr. Aiyar said that 111 community centres would be constructed by oil companies such as IOC, HPCL, GAIL and ONGC in Kumbakonam, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam at a cost of Rs. 3.73 crore in five years.

Earlier, he laid the foundation for a 15-bed ward to be constructed by the ONGC at the Government Hospital here.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section