Pipelines, pipedreams and pimps

========================================================================
Goa's phone numbers change from Nov 10, 2002. Prefix old number with a 2. New 
numbers will be seven-digit 2XXXXXX (where XXXXXX is the old number).
========================================================================

PIPELINES, PIPEDREAMS AND PIMPS

By Anthony . J. Simoes.

On Sunday 18th August 2002, Cortalim MLA Mathany Saldhanha (MS) 
visited my home and gave me the news that Gas Transportation and 
Infrastructure Ltd. (GTIL) will be building a gas pipeline from Goa 
to Andhra Pradesh. He further told me that there would be a public 
hearing on this project at Bicholim on 17th September,2002 and at 
Margao on 18th September 2002.

Mathany was keen to make a representation at the public hearing and 
promised to give me the projects EIA prepared by NEERI. I was to 
study the EIA and brief MS on the various implications for Goa. I 
gave MS whatever information I had on the subject along with my 
views.

Inspite of  reminders MS could only produce the EIA on 26th 
September,2002- Eight days after the public hearing.Like shutting 
the paddock after the mare has bolted.

This set me thinking along a tangent. GTIL is a Reliance Subsidiary  
and in India, at least, the name Reliance is synonymous with bribery 
and corruption in high places. Besides in Goa Reliance has a Trojan 
horse called Raj. Also Manohar, in 1996, when he was in the 
opposition,was rabidly opposed to the Reliance Salgaonkar Power 
Project. When he became CM he spoke like a PRO for RSPPL. He acted 
like a lobbyist and god father to RSPPL. Giving them excise 
concessions and permissions to make bulk supplies to private parties.

After the last Assembly Session everytime I look for MS I only see 
his feet sticking out of Manohar's backside. He seems to have taken 
up permanent residence there. Like a Non-Resident Goan seeking 
political asylum. MS seems to have forgotten Meta Strips. He fully 
supports the Panjim Municipal Corporation Bill because, he says, the 
panchayats are corrupt. As a resident of St. Inez he must surely 
know how corrupt is the Panjim Municipal Council. But what can you 
expect from a member of the Undemocratic Goan Dirty
Politician.

Based on the little information I have on this  Natural Gas Pipeline 
there is a feeling of deja vu. Like the RSPPL fraud we have a new 
one in the making. The RSPPL is a Rs.200 crore fraud over a 20 year 
period starting 2000. This NG pipeline will be a Rs.2000 crore fraud 
over a 20 year period starting in 2007.

This 18" diameter gas pipeline is to be built in two phases. 
Initially from Goa to Hydrabad (660 Kilometres) to carry 15 MMSCMD ( 
million standard cubic metres per day) of gas. Later this pipeline 
will be extended from Hydrabad to Kakinada on the East Coast. By 
then GTIL will be ready to dispatch 23 MMSCMD of gas.

Firstly, even if gas is available offshore near Goa, why take it all 
the way to the East Coast? Why cross Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka 
to take gas to AP. There is plenty of gas in the Godawari Basin 
which is known to Reliance and NEERI. There is at least 50 Tcf of 
gas available in Bangladesh. UNOCAL is ready to tap this gas and 
pipe it to Delhi. A branch pipe can be laid to bring the gas to 
Andhra Pradesh.

Secondly, assuming there is gas off Goa coast then where are the
drilling/production platforms in the Arabian Sea. Where is the 
submarine pipeline and its landfall for Goa.

It is clear, based on the NEERI prepared EIA, my earlier reading and
experience, that there is no exploitable gas reserves near Goa to 
justify a Rs.1500 crore pipeline from Goa to Andhra Pradesh. This 
pipeline is merely the thin end of the wedge which will be used 
later to derive concessions from Government of Goa to set up an LNG 
terminal in Goa. That is why the project completion for the pipeline 
is given as 2006.  a 66okm pipeline should be ready by 2004 at the 
latest.

Thirdly the land acquisition (Rou or Right of Use) is shown as 30 
metres width. Even Enron for its West Coast pipeline asked for only 
20 metres. But GTIL has big plans for this ROU. Later they will lay 
pipelines for liquid fuels like diesel, kerosene, gasoline, etc. 
This will happen after Reliance builds their POL outer harbour 
between Pequeno Island and Baina Beach. That's why in deciding the 
alignment of the gas pipeline they have considered the hydraulic 
gradient. This is only needed for liquid carrying pipelines not for 
gas pipelines.

GTIL and NEERI try hard to pull the wool over our eyes by saying 
that the same pipeline will be used for gas and liquid fuels. This 
is a lie for two reasons:

Firstly  when changing from liquid to gas the entire pipelines will 
have to be flushed/ pigged before injecting gas into it.

Secondly the propulsion devices for gas and liquids are different. 
For gases
they need compressors whilst for liquids one needs pumps. So this 
will call for switching in the pumping stations at Sancoale in Goa, 
Kagal near Kolhapur in Maharashtra and at Dhulkhed in Bijapur 
district of Karnataka.

Since Reliance have entered the telecom field in a big way and are 
always on the look out for increased Bandwidth they will have a 
ready made right of way for laying telecom infrastructure like optic 
fibre cable.

Finally the cost benefit study for the project is indicative of the 
Ambani ideology which places them (Reliance) only slightly to the 
left of Genghis Khan.

As expected GTIL only talks of benefits to the exclusion of costs. 
They mention four benefits of which the first two are merely 
repetitions which says that it will help -- industries like power, 
sponge iron, fertilizers etc. In Goa it means expansion of RSPPL 
power plant at Sancoale from 60 MW to 600 MW. It means Sesa Kembla 
switching from Australian coking coal to natural gas. It means Zuari 
Industries using natural gas instead of the present Naptha as a 
feedstock. All these three industries are located close
to the pipeline route. Goans will pay the costs related to air, 
water and land pollution besides sacrificing their scarce water and 
land resources.

Item 3 says: These industries will be concentrated in the districts 
of Belgaum, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar and will significantly 
benefit the people in these areas in terms of employment 
opportunities and standard of living?..etc?. So like the Konkan 
Railway we provide a corridor.

Item 4 says: The pipeline will also avoid the movement of equivalent 
energy by road or rail. This will reduce traffic congestion, 
accidents and pollution.
        
Someone has an imagination that is working overtime. Since Goa does 
not have any Refineries, LNG terminal or POL port facilities there 
is no question of generating traffic.

Why would anyone in his proper senses use the Goa coast to service 
the hinterlands of other states? Especially since the Goan coastline 
caters to tourism in a big way.

I wonder if the I.I.T has refresher courses on development polities 
for their ex-students who have entered politics? * * * 
----------------------------------------------------------
What's On In Goa (WOIG): 
Nov 06 Children's book exhibn opens, Walkabout, Anjuna... (all weekdays)
Nov 06 ArtHouse, Calangute: Chaitali's acrylics on canvas till 19.11
Nov 07 Revision of electoral rolls (till Nov 30) See schedule.
Dec 01 Two day conference, Goa Agenda. IT For Society. (Ends 2.12) 
Every Sunday: Music therapy sessions at Moira, 5 pm. 278, N.Portugal

----------------------------------------------------------