NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated state utility GAIL’s 450-km pipeline joining Kochi with Mangalore, bringing Kerala and Karnataka closer to the national gas grid.
The state-run gas utility will allow the states to breathe easy by giving households, city transport services and industries easier and uninterrupted access to clean fuel at affordable prices. The Kochi-Mangalore pipeline will bring gas to Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, while passing through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala.
The pipeline is part of the 938-km cross-country KKMBPL (Kochi-Koottanad-Bengaluru-Mangalore) pipeline being laid across Kerala (510 km), Tamil Nadu (310 km) and Karnataka (70 km) to supply gas imported in ships at Kochi. The Kochi-Mangalore link will shortly be linked to Bengaluru, paving the way for hooking up Tamil Nadu to create a southern gas grid which will be linked to the national network.
