LAHORE: Steering Committee for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project has finally decided to complete the mega scheme by October 2019, finalising the requisite framework and timelines of various tasks leading to accomplishment of the mega gas pipeline scheme of the region.

Indian State Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dharmendra Pradhan, who represented his country in a very recent meeting of the TAPI steering committee, also arrived in Lahore on Thursday and visited temple (Gurdwara) Dera Sahib here along with his delegation. “Since our visit is a bid to overcome gas shortages in three countries—Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, we hope that the project will help us,” Mr Partab told reporters at a media talk during his visit to the temple. India wanted good relations with Pakistan amid peace and prosperity in the region, he added.

Talking to Dawn by phone, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the timeline for certain works from launching to completion of TAPI project had been finalized in an important meeting of the steering committee in Islamabad on Wednesday. “The meeting remained successful as all stakeholders, including ministers and secretaries of the ministries concerned of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India actively participated in the entire discussions,” Mr Abbasi added.

Under the timeline, the minister said, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran would be responsible for completing the process to pre-qualify interested technical companies/firms by 15th of next month for upstream gas development through laying pipelines at the approved route. “Similarly, the core stakeholders, after accomplishment of this task, would finalize or complete the bidding process for selecting the interested firms by Oct 30 this year. And by December, they will complete financial closure,” Mr Abbasi explained.

He said during the bidding process, the selected firms/parties would form a consortium and the steering committee would decide and announce name of the consortium leader/lead company. He said laying huge pipelines at the approved route—originating from Turkmenistan and passing through Afghanistan, Pakistan and finally India by the consortium would take about 30 to 36 months. “So the final deadline for the project completion has been set as October 2019. But we expect that the project would be completed before a month or two of the deadline,” the minister said.

Earlier, the Indian Petroleum Minister Mr Pradhan to a question raised during media talk, said any team, which would perform well, would be the winner. He also appreciated the Pakistani government for maintaining temples, worship and other sacred places of Sikh and Hindu communities in the country.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2015

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