Nepal, India to hold petroleum pipeline talks

Nepal and India will hold a meeting in October to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of a petroleum pipeline from Raxaul, Nepal's southern border with India, to Amalekhgunj of Bara district of central Nepal, an official of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) said here Monday.

"The construction process of the pipeline and gas plants has been delayed due to the absence of the DPR although NOC and Indian Oil Corporation signed an agreement last year to lay the pipeline and establish two liquefied petroleum gas stations," Gobinda Dev Pandey, executive chairman of NOC, a government-owned monopoly petroleum products supplier of Nepal, told reporters.

Even the government-level agreement might be essential to carry out works to construct the pipeline as it should be placed in both private and government lands as well as in forest, Pandey noted.

India is constructing the pipeline from Barauni of Bihar state of India to Raxaul.

The construction of the pipeline and gas plants is expected to reduce transport cost, leakage and adulteration, Pandey noted.

Source: Xinhua