Сроки подключения Джамму и Кашмира к национальной газовой сети сорваны

J&K’s entry into National Gas Grid faces timeline challenge 325-km long Srinagar link still a question *Gurdaspur-Jammu line misses July deadline Mohinder Verma JAMMU, Aug 13: Jammu and Kashmir’s promised entry into the National Gas Grid now faces a timeline challenge as the July 2026 deadline set for the... 325-km long Srinagar link still a question *Gurdaspur-Jammu line misses July deadline Mohinder Verma JAMMU, Aug 13: Jammu and Kashmir’s promised entry into the National Gas Grid now faces a timeline challenge as the July 2026 deadline set for the 160-km Gurdaspur-Jammu pipeline has already passed, while the 325-km Jammu-Srinagar gas link, for which bids were invited in 2024, still has no clearly spelt-out implementation picture. This can be gauged from the report of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on “Supply and Distribution of Natural Gas—Challenges and Prospects”, presented in the Parliament during the Monsoon Session. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp As per the report, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) authorised GAIL India Limited on July 12, 2023 to lay the Gurdaspur-Jammu Natural Gas Pipeline. GAIL is constructing the 160-km pipeline with an authorised capacity of 3.1 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD), with the project envisaged to connect the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with the National Gas Grid and supply cleaner natural gas. The scheduled completion date recorded before the Committee was July 2026, which has already passed. However, the report does not provide any updated official position on whether the project has been completed, commissioned or made operational, leaving the status of the first and crucial link of J&K’s proposed gas corridor unclear. The Parliamentary record also states that to cater to the demand of the Srinagar, PNGRB had invited bids for laying a 325-km natural gas pipeline from Jammu to Srinagar, with the proposed line to emanate from GAIL’s Gurdaspur-Jammu Natural Gas Pipeline. Significantly, the report records the bidding process but does not spell out what happened to the project after bids were invited in 2024. There is no corresponding detail in the J&K-specific portion of the report on the outcome of the bidding, subsequent authorisation, commencement of construction, physical progress or a projected commissioning schedule. This creates a clear information gap around what is arguably the more significant leg of the proposed gas corridor for the Kashmir valley. The two projects are directly linked. The Gurdaspur-Jammu pipeline is intended to provide J&K’s connection with the National Gas Grid, while the proposed Jammu-Srinagar pipeline is to extend that connectivity towards the Valley and cater to the demand of the Srinagar region. The absence of these details does not by itself establish that work has not progressed. But it does raise questions about the current implementation status and timelines of the two projects, particularly when the first project’s scheduled completion month has already passed. The issue assumes added significance because Jammu and Kashmir has already been brought entirely under the City Gas Distribution framework. According to information placed before the Parliamentary Committee, two geographical areas covering 100 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir have been authorised for development of City Gas Distribution infrastructure. The City Gas Distribution (CGD) framework in Jammu and Kashmir has been divided into two geographical areas, with the entire Union Territory brought under the ambit of authorised gas distribution networks. The geographical area comprising Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Samba and Kathua districts was authorised to Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) in March 2022. Under the Minimum Work Programme (MWP), IOCL has been assigned a target of providing 14,52,352 domestic PNG connections by September 30, 2034. The second geographical area, comprising Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Kulgam, Kupwara, Poonch, Pulwama, Rajouri, Ramban, Shopian and Srinagar districts, was authorised to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in April 2024. The MWP for this area envisages 30,804 domestic PNG connections by June 30, 2032. The distribution of these two geographical areas assumes significance in the context of the proposed Gurdaspur-Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar trunk pipelines, as the expansion of domestic PNG connectivity would ultimately depend upon the availability of reliable gas supply and the pipeline infrastructure required to feed the authorised CGD networks.