Ex-Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Urges Completion Of Barmer Refinery Project On Schedule

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded that the state and central governments complete work on the Barmery refinery-cum-petrochemical project within the specified time frame. Gehlot said there were reports that 79% of the work was completed by May and, in such a situation, it might take another year to complete the remainder.

"The state government should coordinate with the central government, HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corp.) and ensure completion of the refinery work within the stipulated time frame," he said in a post on X on Saturday.

The project was approved during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and work started in 2013 under the Congress dispensation in Rajasthan. But the project was stuck for five years after a change in the state government, he alleged.

"During this time, some changes were made in the MoU that put an unnecessary financial burden on the state," he claimed.

Gehlot said when the Congress returned to power in the state in 2018, the work was expedited but the COVID-19 lockdown and the Russia-Ukraine war led to repeated stoppages due to non-availability of equipment.

"When I visited the refinery on June 2, 2023, top HPCL officials had assured me that commercial production would be started by December 31, 2024," he said in Hindi.

The refinery-cum-petrochemical project is a joint venture of the state government and HPCL.