South India to get KG gas by 2012: oil ministry

South India will start getting natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin by 2012 through three new gas pipelines, according to union petroleum secretary S Sundareshan.

While speaking to reporters on Saturday in Chennai, Sundareshan said that there is shortage of gas supply in southern India when compared to northern and western parts of the country, and the government was committed to ensure uniform availability of gas throughout the country by putting up a good network of pipelines.

State-owned gas major Gas Authority of India Ltd (Gail) will lay a pipeline connecting Bangalore and Chennai while Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) will build a pipeline between Kakinada and Chennai which will be later extended to the southern city of Thoothukudi, and also lay another pipeline between Chennai and Bangalore.

The secretary said that the government has asked both the companies to implement the projects in a ''strict timeframe''.

The government had already sanctioned GAIL to construct pipelines from Dhabol to Bangalore, and Mangalore to Cochin with connectivity to Goa and Bangalore.

RIL would also lay a pipeline from Kakinada to Haldia and Gail would build a pipeline from Haldia to Jagdishpur.