KD NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Jan 19: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has commenced a bidding process for laying 325-kilometre long Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline.
Documents reveal that the Board has invited bids for grant of authorization for laying, building, operating or expanding Jammu-Srinagar natural gas pipeline with an initial system capacity of at least 2.0 MMSCMD including common carrier capacity.
The bids were invited on January 12, 2023, the documents show. In a move aimed at catering to the natural gas requirements in J&K, the PNGRB had last year initiated a suo-motu proposal for development of the Jammu-Srinagar natural gas pipeline. After completion of public consultation process and based on discussions with the entities/stakeholders during the open house discussions, PNGRB had decided to invite online application-cum-bid for authorization to develop Jammu-Srinagar natural gas pipeline spanning about 325 kilometre with minimum system capacity of at least 2.0 MMSCMD including common carrier capacity during the entire economic life.
The proposed gas pipeline shall originate from the termination point of GAIL (India) Limited’s Gurdaspur-Jammu Natural Gas Pipeline.
“GAIL’s pipeline shall also act as a source for the proposed Jammu- Srinagar Natural Gas Pipeline,” the documents state.
According to documents, the spur-lines shall be provided by the authorized entity as per the customer’s requirement en-route the pipeline in line with the provisions of the relevant regulations.
In the Union Budget 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a new gas pipeline project for development of Jammu and Kashmir—(KNO)
Extended Dry Winter in Kashmir Delays Bollywood, Event Films
KD NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Jan 19: The prolonged dry winter in Kashmir is casting its shadow on the film industry as scores of films including Bollywood, promotional and wedding are getting deferred.
Kashmir’s winter charm, characterized by its pristine snow-covered landscapes, has long been a sought-after setting for Bollywood and pre-wedding shoots.
Majority of the films for the last few years have been shot during winter in Kashmir given the charm of the valley that doubles after snowfall.
However, this winter has witnessed a departure from the norm, as the region grapples with a surprising lack of snowfall.
It has led to the deferment of scores of the shoots, which mostly include Bollywood, pre-wedding and promotional films.
Danish Khan, a line producer for Bollywood films in Kashmir, said that many of his scheduled shoots have been postponed due to the snowless winter.
“We are getting a number of queries from Bollywood about the weather situation in Kashmir. Many Bollywood shoots are scheduled for Kashmir during winter especially for snow. Since, it is a dry weather here without any traces of snow, shoots get either cancelled or deferred,” he said.
Khan, who has a production company named as ‘Hamiasto Productions’ said he had three projects in the pipeline for winters out of which two shifted to other locations.
“Winter beauty has helped a lot in film revival in Kashmir. Now, we wait for snowfall so that shooting doesn’t get impacted,” he said.
Peer Idrees, production manager of ‘Hamiasto Productions’ said the dry rivers too contribute to the postponement of film shooting in Kashmir.
“Some film procurements have now shifted to Russia to shoot snow sequences. Flowing rivers with snow capped mountains in the background provide an apt setting for Bollywood movies,” he said.
Local film makers, who usually plan their schedules around the enchanting snow-covered scenery, are facing an unprecedented dilemma.
“I had three music videos and two pre-wedding shoots scheduled, which got cancelled. The ongoing dry spell has impacted the work of local filmmakers to a great extent,” said Mian Imad, a filmmaker and photographers who is famous as Imad Clicks—(KNO)