GAIL is changing the route of Kochi-Bangalore-Mangalore Pipeline (KBMPL) to avoid laying it on farmlands in Tamil Nadu.
The company to avoid farmlands will add 100 km length, resulting in higher project cost. Currently, the project cost has been estimated at Rs 3,263 crore. The higher project cost will eventually have to be recovered from the end users of the pipeline network -- industries and the general public.
GAIL (India), which is laying the network, has been facing protests from farmers in Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu. The pipeline is expected to pass through 136 villages in these districts. The farmers fear that the land will lose productivity once the pipeline is laid.
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