Punjab Minister Muhammad Sibtain Khan for Forestry, Fisheries, Wildlife and Environment affirmed his support for North South Gas Pipeline (NSGP) project in Punjab.
Muhammad Sibtain Khan emphasizing upon the edifice companies to take care of agriculture and environment during its implementation all along its path through the province.
Punjab Minister while speaking at a practicum as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study being conducted for North South Gas Pipeline project.
The environmental appraisal study is obliged to focus on protection of agriculture and environment as pipeline follow path through Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and all the way to Okara and Nankana Sahib districts inside Punjab’s territory.
A course of action for predicting and assessing the potential environmental and social impacts of a projected project, evaluating alternatives and designing appropriate alleviation measures must be implemented.
The Punjab government would make longer cooperation to complete the project within predetermined time. Punjab Environment , Punjab, Director General Syeda Maleeka also called upon environmental organization conducting environmental assessment study on the gas pipeline project to take into accounts various technical, environmental and social aspects to implement the project in a transparent manner.
Saquib Ejaz Hussain, project manager, ESIA study, alleged that Pakistan government was pursuing the project to bring in additional gas to alleviate the large gap between natural gas supply and demand in the country.
About 803-km long pipeline would pass through 12 districts of Pakistan, including four districts of Sindh and eight of Punjab.
North South Gas Pipeline (NSGP) project in Punjab starting from Nawabshah, will pass through Shaheed Benaziabad, Khairpur, Sukkur and Ghotki in Sindh and then enter Punjab through Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Vehari, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Okara and Kasur.
It will come to an end at downstream River Ravi near Karianwala village in Nankana Sahib. The project envisaged laying of a 15.9-mm diameter pipeline one-meter below into the ground.
Keeping in mind, the North South Gas Pipeline (NSGP) project in Punjab the priority would be given to the agriculture and environment areas that they are not affected during the construction requires special assistance in order to precede the project.