KALADAN NEWS
Dated-20/12/02
$1B GAS PIPELINE PROJECT PROPOSED
Plan to link Myanmar with India via Bangladesh
Chittagong, 20 December: The Ministry of Energy and
Mineral Resources has accepted, in principle, a
proposal for the construction of a
to the Independent of 19th
December.
The ministry forwarded the proposal, submitted by a
hitherto unknown Bangladeshi
company, to the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO) last month seeking its
approval. It is now waiting for
green signal from the
PMO, it further added.
"It is not a bad proposal; we accepted it in principle
and we shall take it up with the
Prime Minister," AKM
Mineral Resources told The Independent of 18th
December.
The Minister in a tone of robust optimism said,
"
this project and I think there is
no harm in
constructing such a pipeline. It is
not at all a
political issue."
"Mohona Holding Limited, a Bangladeshi company,
recently submitted the one
billion-dollar project to
the Energy Ministry. The ministry
formed a committee
to examine the proposal and submit
a report. Sources
said that the ministry did not as
yet have adequate
background information about the
company and its
technical and financial competence
to undertake such a
huge project covering three
countries of the region.
The company has not furnished detailed information as
to how it would organize funds for
the project, stated
in the Independent.
If
a consortium will have to be set up
to implement it
within
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Ltd, a subsidiary of
Petrobangla, will be a major
player. Interestingly,
Petrobangla sources did not share the Minister’s
optimism and termed the proposal
" immature."
construct a pipeline through
State Minister for Energy said. It could not however
be ascertained if the proposal came
up for discussion
during the just-concluded visit of
the Prime Minister
of
The minister said if the Prime Minister’s office
Okayed the project then they would go ahead to form a
consortium in this regard, it
further said.
Sources said that
terms and conditions to the
company. One of the
conditions is that
operator of the pipeline and will
be entitled to use
it as and when necessary in her own
interest including
export and import of gas whenever
needed, it more
added.
Other terms and conditions include provisions
requiring the company to construct
the pipeline with
30 to 40 inch diameter and to include BPCL as one of
the main parties in the consortium,
the sources said.
The proposed pipeline will enter
through Brahmanbaria from the
Indian territory of
Tripura and will cross into
Rajshahi border, affirmed in the
Independent.
The pipeline may help export gas to
interference by any IOC, the
sources said.
According to the sources, it will cost Tk.900 crore to
construct the pipeline in
Energy Ministry source said
Indian companies have indicated their willingness to
offer fund for construction of the
pipeline in
“We welcome the latest developments in the bilateral
relations between
short but effective visit of Prime
Minister General
Than Shwe. But it was disappointing
to learn that the
high level meet failed to make any
progress in
resolving the long pending
repatriation of Rohingya
refugees from the refugee camps in
Cox’s Bazar. More
than 20,000 refugees have been
waiting for years with
the hope that their government
would agree to take
them back, but all the attempts in
the past failed to
achieve any success. Their hopes
must have been dashed
somewhat since this was the first
topmost level visit
to
years. We earnestly wish the
repatriation process
would be expedited so that the
thousands of Rohingyas
could be relieved from their years
of miseries in the
camps, said the Daily Star of 20th
December.
Edotor
Kaladan Press Network