Guwahati: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has demanded that forest officials be allowed to inspect the Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) proposed aviation turbine fuel (ATF) pipeline in the city.
The proposed 34-km pipeline will be set up near Deepor Beel, a Ramsar Site southwest of Guwahati. The pipeline has been planned to avoid possible hazards in transporting ATF in oil tankers from Noonmati-based Guwahati Refinery to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) and defence installation through busy city roads.
While recommending the project, the NBWL, in a meeting in December last year, also laid down a number of stipulations for ensuring environmental safety as the pipeline passes close to a biodiversity-rich wetland, which is also a wildlife sanctuary.
23/02/13 Times of India
