The projects include the Durgapur-Banka section of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur pipeline augmentation project and two LPG bottling plants

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation three key projects related to the petroleum sector in Bihar via video conferencing tomorrow.

The projects include the Durgapur-Banka section of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur pipeline augmentation project and two LPG bottling plants. These projects have been commissioned by Indian Oil and HPCL--- PSUs under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will also be present on the occasion.

The 193 km long Durgapur-Banka pipeline section, built by IndianOil, is a part of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur Pipeline Augmentation Project, for which the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi on February 17, 2019.

Durgapur-Banka section is the extension of the existing 679 Km long Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline to the new LPG bottling plant at Banka in Bihar.

The pipeline of 14” diameter passes through three states like West Bengal (60 km), Jharkhand (98 km), and Bihar (35 km). Presently, LPG injection can be made in the pipeline system from Paradip Refinery, Haldia Refinery, and IPPL Haldia.

On completion of the whole project, the LPG injection facility will also be available from the Paradip Import terminal and Barauni refinery.

Laying of the pipeline under Durgapur-Banka Section required crossing several natural and manmade hurdles. A total of 154 crossings were bridged including 13 rivers (one of them being the Ajay River of 1077 m length), 5 national highways, and 3 railway crossings. The pipeline was laid under the riverbeds through state-of-the-art horizontal directional drilling technique without disturbing the water flow.

Indian Oil's LPG bottling plant at Banka will increase the ‘Atma Nirbharta’ of Bihar by meeting the rising demand for LPG in the state. This bottling plant has been built at an investment of around Rs 131.75 crore to serve the districts of Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar in Bihar, along with the districts of Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Sahibganj, and Pakur in Jharkhand.

With the LPG storage capacity of 1800 MTs and bottling capacity of 40,000 cylinders per day, this plant would generate direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state of Bihar.

HPCL's 120 TMTPA LPG bottling plant has been constructed at Harsidhi in East Champaran district for Rs. 136.4 crores. This plant has been constructed on 29 acres of land and its Foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi on April 10, 2018. The bottling plant will cater to the LPG requirement of East Champaran, West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Siwan, Gopalganj and Sitamarhi districts in Bihar.