Following a period of extensive debates and discussions with HPCL officials, Rajasthan government is set to transfer the multi-million Barmer refinery project from paper to land shortly. Barmer, a bitter pill for former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, turned out to be the biggest achievement of current CM Vasundhara Raje. Due to her visionary insight, the chief minister was able to trim down its costs from Rs 56,040 crores to Rs 16,040 crores, thus saving a whooping sum worth Rs 40,000 crores on this deal. To speed up on-ground construction of Barmer refinery, CM Raje held a webinar with union minister of petrol and natural gas Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan today.
The chief objective behind this meeting was to monitor the progress of this project on a monthly basis. Under Raje’s supervision, the authorities in charge have already completed the final drafting of Barmer refinery blueprint and a detailed project report stating its costs, benefits and requirements. Now, the state government has dispatched an application to central authorities, seeking the approval of PIB (Public Investment Board) and ministry of environment, climate and forest change. Once they get Centre’s approval, they’ll commence this project in association with the HPCL officers.
Mr. O.P. Meena, Chief Secretary of Rajasthan has constituted a special “Task force” constituting of experts. The members of this committee will make all natural resources (like land, water, electricity and manpower) available for refinery construction.
To ensure that the project is implemented in a fair and transparent manner, both the CM as well as the Union minister Mr. Pradhan will organize video conferences and meetings with project officers and engineers every month. The government is positive that these efforts will help them complete the project before the scheduled deadline.
Once completed, the Barmer refinery will change the fate of Rajasthan by enhancing its energy potential and providing employment to 4 lakh youths in state. It’s also expected to fetch immense profits for Rajasthan in the near future.
