Reliance to lay Natural Gas pipeline to TN from AP

Chennai, Dec 3 (UNI) Reliance Industries would lay a pipeline network to bring natural gas to the households in Tamil Nadu from the Krishna Godavari Basin in Andhra Pradesh.

Announcing this to reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence in the presence of Union IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said after getting necessary approvals, the pipe laying works would be completed in the next two to three years.

''We hope to bring piped gas to thousands of households in Tamil Nadu directly. This will be 25 to 30 per cent cheaper than LPG and would also help in bringing down the gas prices in South India'', he added.

Stating that large quantities of natural gas were available in KG basin, he said Reliance has proposed to build a southern corridor -- a pipeline network -- which would bring gas from Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu.

''This will bring the benefits of natural gas directly to the people of the State. After Andhra Pradesh, our focus would be on Tamil Nadu'', he said.

During the meeting, Mr Mukesh Ambani also evinced keen interest in closely working with the farmers of Tamil Nadu by creating distributional logistics and market their agricultural products.

Mr Karunanidhi welcomed both the projects and assured his government's full support, he added.

Mr Maran said once the project was completed, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) gas could be provided directly to the households in the State and it would also serve an alternative to the Liquified Petroleum Gas.

The CNG could also be used in vehicles as it had been used in Delhi and Mumbai, Mr Maran said.

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