India’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) opened its liaison office in Dhaka on Monday. This is the first overseas office of NRL.The liaison office was formally inaugurated by the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma in the presence of NRL managing director Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan. Khalid Ahmed, Director (O&P), Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), Md Tipu Sultan, Managing Director, Meghna Petroleum Ltd and senior officers of NRL were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Pranay Verma said that India and Bangladesh have made unprecedented progress in advancing relations between our two countries in the last decade. He said, one of the key manifestations of that transformation is the growth in bilateral trade and economic engagement and connectivity links.
Verma said that collaboration in the power & energy sector has become one of the hallmarks of this all-encompassing relationship and the Friendship Pipeline is a testament to the growing partnership in this important sector.
The India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project, which was jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina virtually on March 18, 2023, is the first cross-border pipeline for the supply of petroleum products to Bangladesh. This pipeline can transport 1 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) of high-speed diesel and has been completed at a total estimated cost of over Rs 375 crore, of which, over Rs 285 crore has been spent for construction of the Bangladesh portion of the pipeline under a Indian government grant.
Since the inauguration of the pipeline last year, 42 TMT of diesel with a total value of USD 34 million (Rs 282 crore) has been exported to Bangladesh. With the completion of the pipeline, cross-border supply of high-speed diesel is being done faster and more economically with a minimal carbon footprint putting in place a sustainable, reliable and cost-effective way of transporting high-speed diesel to Bangladesh.
Navalsang Parmar (Dhaka)