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Gas from Moulvibazar now by end of March

Affected landowners obstruct pipeline laying

IQBAL SIDDIQUEE, Sylhet
Supply of gas from well no. 2 and 3 in Moulvibazar gas field to the North-South Pipeline (National Grid) may now begin in late March as the pipeline laying work is being delayed due to alleged resistance by some affected land owners.
They are resisting pipeline laying as the administration has ordered suspension of compensation payment due to alleged insufficiency in land documents, sources said.
Out of total of 425 affected landowners, 365 got compensation and 60 are yet to get.
Some of the affected landowners while talking to this correspondent alleged that many 'fake' landowners were given money in the name of compensation, while many 'genuine ones' are being deprived on the 'plea of insuffi-
cient document. Many others were given compensation which is far below the actual price of land, they claimed.
US company Unocal is supposed to supply 70 MMCFD gas to the National Grid from the two wells, drilled five years back.
Work on laying 23-kilometre pipeline from Moulvibazar gas field at Kalapur to Muchhai in Habiganj district was started last year. It was scheduled to be completed this month.
So far, 18-kilometre pipeline laying has been completed, sources said.
The work was delayed by rains in September-October last year.
A private firm--BFEW--is laying the pipeline on behalf of Unocal.
A Unocal official when contacted yesterday said they are sorting out the land-related problems and expect to get
things right within weeks.
"We have deputed an official to resolve the matter in consultation with the land office and the landowners", he said.
"The rest of the work would be completed by mid-March and gas supply to the national grid would be started in late March", he said.
Unocal is has been running 'hydro test' in wells for the last few days to prepare the wells for gas production.
'Flare test' in the wells, earlier scheduled for February 17, and 19, will be done next week, the sources said.
The wells are about two kilometres off Magurchhara, where a massive blowout took place on the night of June 14, 1997 when US Company Occidental was drilling a gas well there.
Occidental later left the country after handing over its work to