An official stated that the work under the Rs 92.65 billion North East Gas Grid (NEGG) project is expected to be completed in Tripura by March the following year. As part of the NEGG project aimed at synchronizing gas supply in the region, 253 km of gas pipeline will be laid across seven districts. According to Vishwasree B, Director of the Industries and Commerce Department, the NEGG project in Tripura's seven districts is being undertaken by a joint venture entity, Indradhanus Gas Grid Ltd (IGGL), with stakes from five companies - GAIL, IOCL, OIL, NRL (Numaligarh Refinery Ltd), and ONGC. She mentioned that around 105 km of the total 253 km pipeline target in the state has been covered so far. She further added that the remaining portion of the project, encompassing stages like land acquisition, pipeline welding, and pipeline laying, would be completed by March 2025. Regarding the delay in payments for land acquisition compensation due to unavailability of authenticated documents of the owners, Vishwasree explained that the issue had been resolved by the district magistrates (DMs), and payments were currently in process. Vishwasree emphasized that once the NEGG becomes operational, it would facilitate easier gas supply with consistent pressure necessary for industrial and power generation plant use. She also noted that the state government had already granted a license to ONGC for exploration of oil and gas in five blocks. In case gas reserves are discovered during ONGC's exploration, she mentioned that ONGC would seek permission from the state to proceed with mining in these potential blocks, given that the northeastern state holds an estimated reserve of 8 billion cubic meters of gas.
