The Ground breaking ceremony of the ₹6,000 crore LNG Terminal was held at Dhamra port in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Saturday
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan performed the Bhumi Pujan in the absence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The 5 MMTPA capacity LNG terminal will play a major role in accelerating the process of development and economic growth in eastern India, Mr.Pradhan said.
Construction of the LNG import terminal would involve an investment of ₹ 6,000 crore, while a 2539 km long network of pipeline to transport gas would be laid at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore, the petroleum minister said.
The network would connect 13 districts of Odisha and states like Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Stating that the country now has only one gas terminal in Gujarat, Mr.Pradhan said that natural gas would now be brought to Bhadrak from countries like America, Canada and Qatar.
The natural gas from the terminal would also be supplied to various city gas distribution networks in the eastern India.
While households in various cities would get piped gas, motor vehicles and industries would get cheaper and clean fuel, the Petroleum Minister said adding it would create vast employment opportunities for the the youth of Odisha.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was supposed to perform “Bhumi Pujan”, skipped the programme. BJD MP and MLAs also did not attend the function.
Mr. Pradhan said the chief minister had been invited to the function but it was learnt last night that he would not be attending it.
He said since the gas infrastructure project is set to boost economic growth in Odisha and the entire eastern region, the chief minister’s presence would have been been more appropriate.
BJD spokesperson and MP Pratap Keshari Deb said the chief minister had given consent to attend the function as it was a government programme. However, he decided to stay away when it was understood that it would become a political event.
