Deora, Aiyer to blame for delay in Dahej-Uran pipeline: Naik

Mumbai, May 4 (UNI) Former Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik today said it was the responsibility of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora to ensure completion of the gas pipe project from Dahej (Gujarat) to Dabhol (Maharashtra).

''To cover up for their failures, the Central and the State Government ministers are blaming Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,'' Mr Naik told reporters here today.

Referring to the incident of burning Mr Modi in effigy by several NCP activists led by Jeetendra Avad yesterday, Mr Naik said the NCP activists should have burnt Mr Deora in effigy. Mr Deora did not even attend the meeting called to discuss the gas supply to this project, he added.

Mr Naik said, of the 227-km-long pipeline in Gujarat, only two-and-half kilometres remain to be laid. In the Maharashtra section, however, 10 to 12 km of the pipeline are yet to be laid and work on joints at several places over rivers and nallahs are yet to be completed, the minister added.

The Dahej-Uran pipeline project, covering 387 km at a cost of Rs 1400 crore, was sanctioned during his tenure and GAIL was entrusted the task of completing it by 2004, he said.

However, successive petroleum ministers -- Mani Shankar Aiyer and Murli Deora, have neglected the project, he alleged.

These ministers had changed the specifications, reinvited fresh tenders, and decided to complete the project by June 2006 but further extended it to February 2007 he said adding that, the work has not been completed by GAIL yet and now the Congress ministers are blaming the Gujarat chief minister.

UNI