Kathmandu, January 15
Nepal has requested India to conduct a feasibility study about the proposed Siliguri-Jhapa cross-country petroleum pipeline. India is yet to give a final response to the request.
The request comes five months after the two governments inaugurated the first cross-country petroleum pipeline.
During a meeting of a joint working group on petroleum and gas held in New Delhi last week, Nepali officials made the proposal, according to Dhruva Ghimire, a joint-secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. Ghimire had led the Nepali delegation to the meeting.
Though a concrete decision was yet to be made, the two governments have agreed that the Indian Oil Corporation would assess the feasibility based on a proposal to be submitted by the Nepal Oil Corporation.
The NOC officials say they floated the alternative transport route as the cost of transporting fuel from Biratnagar to Barauni is excessive.
