The second phase works under the Nepal-India Cross-Border Petroleum Pipeline Project have been accelerated.

The construction of physical infrastructures including petrol tanks and 'transmix tanks' has been started at the depot located at Amlekhgunj of Bara under Nepal Oil Corporation Provincial Office.

At an interaction with media persons at the Amlekhgunj-based office on Wednesday, Office Chief Pradeep Kumar Yadav said construction works have been forwarded by completing all necessary preparations.

Two petrol tanks with the capacity of 4,100 kilolitres, two transmix tanks with the capacity of 250 kilolitres, 24 automatic re-fillers, pump house and lab would be constructed under the project.

Likhita Infrastructure Pvt Ltd has got the responsibility to construct all infrastructures within a year. Nepal Oil Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation are jointly investing in the project.

Nepal Oil Corporation will invest around Rs 1.54 billion and Indian Oil Corporation around Rs 750 million in the project, added Yadav.

A target has been set to bring the project into operation from the coming English New Year by completing the project within this December.

Following this, petrol would be supplied into Nepal through the pipeline. At present, only diesel is being supplied through it. Although there is a possibility to supply both petroleum products and kerosene through the same pipeline, Nepal is importing petroleum products through tankers due to a lack of space to store it.

Following the construction of the project, all petroleum products and kerosene will be supplied through the pipeline. This would reduce technical losses and environment pollution, and save transport costs, said Yadav, adding that Nepal would save approximately Rs 150 million annually from it.

With this, the storing capacity of the Amlekhgunj depot would increase to 24,840 kiloliters diesel and 16,630 kiloliters petrol.

The process to install two tanks with capacity of storing 5,000 petroleum products each has started in line with the government's policy to store them for 90 days, he said. Religare Construction Pvt Ltd has won the contract for the project.