3 Feb ; UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the nation’s longest cross-country oil product pipeline near Jaipur on Tuesday that was built in just thirty-six months at a cost of Rs 1,757 crore.
The 1,054-km pipeline, built in just 36 months, is one of the country’s longest cross-country oil-product pipelines and has been commissioned under the common carrier principle wherein 30 per cent of the capacity can be accessed by companies other than HPCL.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora were present at the function held in Bagru near Jaipur.
HPCL will pump Euro-II and Euro-II grade petrol, diesel and kerosene from the Gujarat coast to the national capital through the 18-inch pipeline.
Besides HPCL, private sector Essar and state-run IndianOil Corp (IOC) may also use the pipeline.
Official sources said the pipeline, built at no over-run in cost or time, kept the supply lines in the north running when a strike by executives of oil PSUs had almost choked them.
The pipeline connects supply centres in Gujarat in the west to the consumption areas in the western state (Gujarat), Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and further north.
The pipeline would consolidate HPCL’s presence in northern India, where it currently has no oil refinery.HPCL has about 8,033 petrol stations in the country, selling close to 11 million tonnes of fuel annually.
Of this, only 5-6 million tonnes is produced at the company’s Mumbai and Vizag refineries and the rest is sourced from ONGC’s Mangalore and Essar Oil’s Vadinar refineries Nefarious designs to foment terror will not be allowed : Sonia
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said its "nefarious" designs to foment terror in the country will not be allowed to succeed at any cost.
"The neighbouring country is attempting to weaken us and trying to divide our brotherhood and unity. But we will not let them fulfil their nefarious intentions to spread terror," Gandhi said without naming any country.
Addressing a ‘thanks giving rally’ organised by the state PCC in Jaipur, the UPA chairperson said terrorism would be defeated at all costs.
"Terrorism is a big challenge before the country and we will unitedly defeat it," she said.
Expressing her gratitude to people of Rajasthan for Congress’ victory in Rajasthan, Gandhi said the UPA government provided Rs 40,000 crores under various central-sponsored schemes to the previous BJP government in the last five years, but it was not utilised fruitfully.
Hailing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s efforts and the welfare schemes for the poor, she said the UPA government never adopted dual standard nor made any discrimination among the states while allocating funds.
"People is of the nation. It’s their right, they should get it (progressive work)" and the Congress was working towards that goal, she said.
Gandhi said had the previous BJP government taken up the Centre’s schemes and spent grants of NREGA, Bharat Nirman, Women Empowerment and Child Development in earnest, the image of Rajasthan would have been different.
Cautioning that the Gehlot government should ensure that no corruption prevailed in Central government schemes, the UPA chairperson said "each paise be used for developmental works and the welfare of people."
Asking the Gehlot government to ensure that no adverse situation arose out of caste or religious clash, she said "Our state government’s first duty will be to safeguard the interest, dignity and security of SC/ST/OBC and minority people".
"A weak person should be given strength, farmer should get facility, women should get security, youth should get education and employment…then only Rajasthan would be colourful and progressive," she advised the Gehlot government.
Vowing to fulfil all assurances given to the people before assembly polls, Gandhi said "Satta and sangathan (government and organisation) in the state should ensure that promises made in the manifesto be fulfilled appropriately."