The Hindu Business Line : Reliance looks at various modes to transport petro products inland

Thus, the company has before it a proposal for laying a 300-km long pipeline between Haldia and Ranchi for transportation of its petroleum products to Jharkhand to cater to the requirement of the region.

It is also toying with the idea of using the river route for moving products from Haldia to Patna and is believed to have sounded some barge owners. The plan is to transport more than a million tonnes by the route subject to availability of requisite facilities. A section of barge owners, however, are believed to have expressed the view it will be difficult to get a draught of at least two metres in the Bhagirathi river beyond Farakka during the greater part of the year.

At Haldia, Reliance has a terminal of its own, one of three coastal terminals it owns and operates, the two others being located at Chennai and Hazira. There is a proposal to set up a similar facility at Paradip.

The company has already got an establishment at the Orissa port to undertake exploration in the Mahanadi basin. However, it also operates at several other coastal locations such as Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Kochi, Jawaharlal Nehru port and Goa, though from hired premises. Besides, it has several inland depots located at Bhopal, Rewari and Kanpur and some mini depots at other places.

Reliance has introduced on experimental basis mobile vans to push retail sales of diesel. A total of five such vans have been introduced in five major cities. More such vehicles could be introduced depending on the market response.

More than 50 per cent of Reliance's total production of 12 million tonnes of diesel and around 75 per cent of the total production of three million tonnes of petrol are exported. About 2.5 million tonnes each of LPG and kerosene however are sold entirely in the domestic market. A large portion of what is sold in the domestic market is transported by the coastal route.

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