KOCHI: The apprehensions regarding the establishment of an LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)import terminal proposed by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)at Puthuvypeen here have been finally cleared after the Union Ministry of Shipping gave instructions to the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) to initiate steps to start the construction of a jetty for the plant.“The decision was taken at a top-level meeting held in the first week of May. The newspaper reports stating that the project was sabotaged by the tanker lorry lobby is baseless,” CPT authorities said.The meeting, chaired by Union Shipping Secretary P K Sinha, was attended by CPT chairman Paul Antony, director(PD/WC) Ashwani Kumar, IOC executive director Satwant Singh, general manager Gautam Bose and shipping manager A K Sinha. “The CPT will construct the jetty as per the specifications stipulated by the IOC.The IOC will use the jetty for 161 days a year. A decision on how to utilise the jetty on the remaining days will be taken later. The CPT will construct the terminal and the IOC will lay the pipeline to its storage facilities at Udayamperoor in Ernakulam and Salem in Tamil Nadu. It is expected that the work can be tendered and awarded by the end of June,” the CPT authorities said.Spread in an area of 37 acres, the proposed plant will have a storage capacity of 15,400 tonnes. Once operational, it is expected that the LPG shortage in Kerala and Tamil Nadu would be resolved.
Comments
0 comment