GAIL to invest Rs 3200 cr for pipeline network

The Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) would invest Rs 3200 crore for laying the network of pipelines to transport and market the gas that would be made available from from Petronet LNG Ltd, kochi by 2011.

Mr U D Choubey, chairman and managing director, GAIL said that the company would invest Rs 2500 crore for the 800 kms Kochi-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline. Another Rs 700 crore would be invested to lay the off-shore pipeline to Kayamkulam. The pipeline to NTPC Kayamkulam would be completed by 2011. The pipelines have to be designed after taking into account the future requirement also, he said.

Meanwhile, GAIL has identified the main customers for gas in Kerala. NTPC, FACT, Reliance-BSES etc would be the main customers, he said. GAIL would be supplying piped gas to the domestic users in Kochi.

Compressed natural gas for vehicles in the state would be another area that the company would be focusing on. Mr Choubey said that the large number of boats plying in the backwaters of the state could use gas as fuel. This would be around 30 % cheaper for them as compared to diesel, he said. He, however, said that R & D work has to be done to convert the diesel using engines to gas based units.

He said that the land acquisition work for laying the pipeline would be completed within 6 months. The state Government would be providing the services of two officers from the revenue department for this.

Mr Choubey said that GAIL is planning another pipeline from Dhabol to Bangalore. He said that with the commissioning of the national gas grid there will be a lot of flexibility in the supply of gas.

Despite the modern, hi-tech campaigning methods that it employs, the parliament elections have spurred the demand for a number of products and services that are part of the traditional, local culture.

These local products have many takers during the brief but intense period of campaigning. Politicians take a fancy to khadi as election nears. The coarse khadi becomes excellent material for not just kurtas but also for flags. The election demand has come on the top of the usual summer sales. Hence several khadi shops are working overtime to meet the demand. The premium silk khadi also has quite a few takers from among politicians.

It is interesting to note the connection between cardamom and election. North India is a large consumer of cardamom. In addition to its use in biriyanis and sweet dishes, cardamom forms an integral part of tea flavoured by spices. The cardamom growers of Idukki are happy that as the consumption of tea rises during the election campaign period, the cardamom offtake too increases keeping the prices high.

Elections also increase the demand for astrologers. “But this need not translate into business for all as most of the politicians have their own personal astrologers”, says reputed astrologer Ajithan Namboothiripad. According to him, politicians from almost all parties visit astrologers during the poll season to know more about the possibility of their personal victory.

Songs with revolution as theme were widely used in the early phase of the growth of the communist party. Since then such songs have become part and parcel of any election campaign in the state. Thousands of cassettes and CDs of these songs are sold throughout the state during elections.

But nowadays all parties produce songs for their candidates to be sold in the respective constituencies. “Small music companies that produce these CDs are mushrooming all over the state”, says Padmanabhan Kavumbai, a Kochi-based writer who has penned several songs to be used in the campaign.

The demand for tender coconuts in the state was on the rise for the past few months. But the summer heat and the month long campaigning has added to its demand. Finally, at the end of the poll campaign most of the politicians can be spotted in some traditional ayurvedic centres, resting and recuperating, which also shows that their feet are firmly planted in tradition.