Sarma launched a book ‘Oil India – The Pipeline Saga’ at a programme held at Janata Bhawan. The book is based on birth and journey of India’s pioneering cross-country pipeline constructed from Naharkatiya in Upper Assam to Barauni in Bihar over a distance of 1158 km for transporting crude oil produced in Upper Assam field to newly constructed public sector refineries at Guwahati and Barauni during 1960’s.
It may be noted that ‘Oil India – The Pipeline Saga’ seeks to chronicle the titanic efforts that went into the construction of the pipeline, at that time the second longest in Asia, and the first to be fully automated. The pipeline traversed through Assam, West Bengal and Bihar, and passed through some of the most hostile terrains in India, crossing 78 major rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra. The planning of the pipeline commenced in 1958, construction started in November 1960, commissioned up to Guwahati refinery in April 1962, made operationally ready till Barauni Refinery in February 1963. While chronicling the construction of the Oil India Pipeline Project, this book also dwells on its legacy.
Sarma while congratulating the OIL fraternity especially OIL (Pipeline) team and author of the book Arup Kr. Dutta for the painstaking efforts to bring out this book said that the book is a commendable initiative to preserve the glorious past of six decades old Naharkatiya Barauni Crude Oil Pipeline to the future generation.
He said, “I feel this book will surely enrich repository of petroleum history and will help the aspiring writers, research fellows and students willing to study technical aspect of Pipelines and Hydrocarbon sector of Northeast”. Stating on the turn of events which started from transporting out crude oil from Assam to Barauni through this pipe line to bringing in crude oil from outside the state to Assam, Sarma said that the pipe line proves to be a lifeline for the oil industry.
He also said that the energy and hydrocarbon resources and its development hold an important key for unlocking the potential of Northeast. The potential of hydrocarbons in this region of India can be gauged from the fact that the region accounts for 18 per cent reserves of Hydrocarbon in the nation. He also said that as hydrocarbon sector contributes significantly to the country’s economic growth, North East has immense role to play in harnessing the hydrocarbon sector in propelling India’s growth.
Stating that construction of the six lane bridge connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati over river Brahmaputra would be completed by December 2023, Chief Minister Sarma said that once completed, this bridge would give a new fillip to expansion of Guwahati city. Informing about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for developing a satellite city adjacent to Guwahati city, the Chief Minister said that the state government has already mooted a plan on the same and during its current tenure the government would start works for a fully equipped and scientific satellite city. He also informed that the proposed second Medical College of Guwahati connecting MMC Hospital and Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi TB Hospital, Kalapahar would start soon and this would be ready within a period of 36 months.
Sarma said that under Smart City project, the state government would press into service 200 electric buses and 100 CNG operated buses in Guwahati apart from developing a coordinated traffic control system in the city. The Chief Minister said that city dwellers will be able to witness these changes in next three years.
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