NEW DELHI: India on Thursday decided to join the U.S.-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline project. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This comes in the backdrop of the difficulties over the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Not only has Iran been asking for a high price for the gas it would sell to India, the project also runs the risk of being blacklisted for participation by U.S. and European financiers and companies.

Easier to implement

The U.S., which has accused Iran of harbouring nuclear weapon ambitions, has urged Pakistan to abandon the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project and instead consider the alternative Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) project.

The project to get gas through pipeline from Turkmenistan will be easier to implement than the Iran pipeline project, as it already has the backing of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In mid-February, India participated for the first time as an "observer" in the ninth meeting of the steering committee of the TAP project.

The proposed natural gas pipeline will stretch from the Turkmenistan/Afghanistan border in southeastern Turkmenistan to Multan in Pakistan covering 1,271 km. With the Cabinet's decision on Thursday, the pipeline will be extended by another 640 km. The project is estimated to cost $ 3.5 billion — $2.9 billion for the segment up to Pakistan and $600 million for the extension to India.

Additional stretch

The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of an additional stretch of 1,113 km of national highway under the National Highway Development project phase III. With this, the total length of national highway to be upgraded under NHDP Phase III will go up to 11,113 km. The cost implication for the additional stretch will be Rs. 7,257 crore, out of which the Government will invest Rs. 3,170 crore and the private sector Rs. 4,087 crore.

The additional stretch will include Tiruchi-Pudukottai-Ramanathapuram (200 km), Amristar-Wagha (35 km), Surat-Hazira port (29 km), Dubri-Talchar (98 km), Bijapur-Hospet (194 km), Tonk-Kota-Jalawar (242 km), Kandla-Mundra port (73 km), Mudbagal-Karnataka/ Andhra Pradesh border (11 km), Panipat-Rohtak (73 km) and Rohtak-Bawal (97 km) sections.

Amendments approved

In addition, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) and Financial Institutions Laws (Amendment) Bill to incorporate the various recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance; decided to create a programme management structure for the National e-Governance Plan, including the constitution of a body under the chairpersonship of the Prime Minister; and cleared the setting up of a Central Institute of Technology at Kokrajhar in Assam.

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