Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Srinagar, (IANS) : Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday discussed with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti the issue of identification of land to set up oil depots and LPG bottling plants in Jammu and Kashmir.

These liquefied petroleum gas bottling plants and oil depots are proposed to be set up at Anantnag, Rajouri and Kargil in the state.

Pradhan advised a committee set up for the purpose to coordinate with the Jammu and Kashmir government to expedite the proposals.

The Minister also directed the committee to collect the list of locations identified by the state government on a priority basis for a feasibility study for commissioning of the new LPG distributorships and petrol pumps in the state.

The list will also include oil/gas distributorships in remote/inaccessible areas, which will be allotted to the state Food and Civil Supplies Department, an official statement said.

The state government has decided to facilitate land allotment to state-run oil marketing companies to shift oil depots in Jammu.

During the meeting, all public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas were advised to carry out recruitments from reputed engineering colleges of Jammu and Kashmir.

They have also been instructed to invest Rs 1 crore from Corporate Social Responsibility funds for infrastructural development in the Tulip Garden in Srinagar.