Assam gas cracker project may use Bangla waterways

Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd, the company executing the Assam gas cracker project, is mulling over shipping its 'over-dimension consignments' and heavy equipment through waterways via Bangladesh.

PCPL chairmen B C Tripathi told newspersons in Guwahati on Thursday that movement of heavy and over-dimension consignments is posing a big challenge for the company. Since a waterways protocol was in place between North-East India and Bangladesh, it would not be a major problem for BCPL to ship its consignments, he said.

The ODCs would be shipped from Haldia port in West Bengal to Assam via sea and then over the Brahmaputra river. The Rs5,460-crore project is coming up at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam.

Tripathi, who earlier chaired the second annual general meeting of BCPL, said that the company would spend Rs896 crore on the project activities during 2009-10. He denied that the project was running behind schedule and said that it would be commissioned by April 2012.

BCPL is promoted by the Gas Authority of India Ltd with 70 per cent equity participation, with Oil India Ltd, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd, and the government of Assam sharing the remaining 30 per cent. Tripathi said it would tie up finances for the project by the next month.

(See: Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer plans Rs896-crore capex)