KANNUR: The GAIL Gas Pipeline Virudha Samithi, the action council spearheading the agitation against the pipe-laying works of the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), feels that their worst fears have been vindicated by the gas tragedy at East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh on Friday. “We have been fighting against the GAIL’s move to force the gas pipeline upon us for long. We had raised our fears and concerns of safety, but the authorities used to brush them aside. I hope the unfortunate tragedy in Andhra Pradesh might be an eye-opener for all,” said A Gopalan, state vice-president of the action council.
“Now, they are in the process of shifting the pipes meant to be laid in various parts of the district to a yard near Mayyil town. The pipes are stocked without adhering to safety norms. The coating to protect the pipes from corrosion was visibly worn off in many pipes,” Gopalan said. “This callousness is very disturbing,” he added.
The notification to use the land for laying GAIL pipeline expired on June 21 and they had not issued a new notification yet, the action council leader said. “We will continue our renewed struggle and will go to the public with awareness campaigns against the gas pipeline project. The tragedy once again exposes the leaky safety assurances by the GAIL authorities. It shows that the project is not suitable for thickly populated states like Kerala.” The district had witnessed strong agitations against the gas pipeline project. Though the authorities tried to convince the public about safety, they refused to cooperate. A district-level meeting held at the collectorate here a few months ago had also witnessed violent scenes.
When the GAIL suggested a raise in compensation, the action council had clearly stated that it was not bargaining for money but for safety.
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