Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated South Asia's first petroleum product pipeline on Tuesday, September 10.
The inauguration of the cross-border Motihari-Amlekhganj petroleum pipeline was conducted through a video conference. According to a video presentation made before the inauguration, the pipeline is 69 km-long, which stretches from Motihari in East Champaran district of Bihar to Amlekhganj in Bara District of Nepal.
According to the arrangements made in 1973, fuel tankers carry the petroleum products from India to Nepal. This conventional way will be changed with the new cross-border pipeline. It is calculated that every year, the pipeline will carry 2 million metric tonnes of clean petroleum products to Nepal.
PM Modi while addressing the inauguration said that the project was constructed in a record time of 15 months while the given deadline was 30 months. The Prime Minister's Office on Monday said, "This India-Nepal energy cooperation project is a symbol of our close bilateral relations. It will help to enhance the energy security of the region and substantially cut down on transit costs."
The Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline project was first proposed in 1996 but it only became a reality after PM Modi's Kathmandu visit in 2014. The groundbreaking ceremony for the pipeline was held in 2018 during Nepal PM Oli's visit to India. The project would help enhance the energy security of Nepal and ensure a reduction in fuel prices by substantially cutting down on transit costs.
