Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) may abandon Narimanam-Trichy pipeline project if the Supreme Court decides not to allow laying of pipeline across agricultural fields and orders it to lay pipeline only along highways. It may be remembered that in a similar case with GAIL pipelines, the Tamil Nadu government had announced that GAIL would have to re-route its pipeline on roadsides along the National Highways as agricultural land falls on the original route and it will not be allowed to lay pipelines on agricultural land. The matter is currently pending in Supreme Court.
IOC is planning to lay 120 km pipelines from Cauvery Basin Refinery, in Narimanam in the district of Nagapattinam and connecting it to Chennai-Trichy-Madurai (CTMPL) Product Pipeline Top in Trichy. The project involves laying 8 625″ OD pipes at an estimated cost of Rs 124 crore. LoA was issued to IOC in 2012 and more than 50% of the work on the project has been completed. However, IOC is facing protests from farmers and villagers in Thanjavur district.