GAIL pipeline laying to begin in a month
Residents oppose change in alignment
Laying of gas pipes for a 131-km-long stretch of the Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru gas pipeline project is expected to begin within a month as Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has given the contract for the purpose to a Noida-based company.
In a press release here on Sunday, the company said that the expected cost of the work was Rs. 200 crore. M. Viju, project manager, GAIL, said that the there were two reaches in the stretch, from Valapattanam in Kannur district to Ayanchery in Kozhikode district, and from Ayanchery to Areakode in Malappuram district. Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited has been given the contract.
In July
The remaining 111-km stretch of the project passing through Malappuram, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts would be awarded in July.
Construction works in the 91-km Kochi-Koottanad stretch and 105-km Perole-Mangaluru stretch were in full swing, the release said. The company is planning to complete the project by December 2018.
Meanwhile, activists of the Gail Pipeline Victims Forum said that they would continue their opposition to the project.
High Court directive
“The High Court of Kerala had asked the company not to deviate from the original alignment while laying the pipeline. But, in areas like Kodiyathoor and Karassery, local residents have alleged that there were changes in the original alignment. We are planning to bring it to the notice of the authorities,” Aslam Cheruvady, district president of the forum, said.
Asked about the lack of support for their agitation from the mainstream political parties, he said that they were bowing down to corporate interests.
Mr. Viju, however, claimed that the company had been following the direction from the court.