Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the goal of the government was to have 'One country, One gas grid'. He was speaking after virtually inaugurating the GAIL pipeline project from Kochi to Mangaluru in southern India.  He said the government was on a major initiative to connect all the gas grids across the country.

Modi also said this was a historic moment for the nation and the states of Kerala and Karnataka in particular. He said the project became a reality due to the cooperation of the people and the state governments in Kerala and Karnataka.

The LNG pipeline commissioned at a cost of Rs 3,226 crore and covering an area of 444 km passes through the districts of Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod in Kerala and culminates at Mangaluru in Karnataka.

The project commenced in 2009 and should have been completed by 2016 but owing to political opposition in land acquisition, the project got delayed and now stands completed in 2020. This project was a part of the manifesto of the Communist government in Kerala.

The project has already been supplying gas to the industrial units and residences in Ernakulam city since 2013 after a part of the project was commissioned.

Speaking on the occasion,  Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "The cooperation extended by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was exemplary and said this model has to be emulated."

(IANS)