<div>Announcing Rs 4,500 crore expansion plans for Odisha, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said petrol, diesel and LPG network would be expanded to benefit all the consumers in the state.</div><div> </div><div>After reviewing the work of Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum and their marketing network in Odiaha, Pradhan said the state has LPG consumer base of 28 per cent of the population and it would be raised to 33 per cent this year and 50 per cent household in three years.</div><div> </div><div>At present the national average of LPG consumer base is 60 per cent. The endeavour of his ministry would be to bring Odisha at par with national average, he said.</div><div> </div><div>Pradhan said three new product pipelines would be constructed between Paradip-Ranchi, Paradip-Durgapur and Paradip-Raipur. The new pipelines will go through several areas of the state, which will carry petroleum products to the most parts of the state.</div><div> </div><div>Now the coastal centric distribution network of LPG, petrol and diesel will be widened and expanded to the nooks and corners of the state to achieve the national average, the Union minister said, adding existing LPG distribution centre network of 404 would be raised to 750 in next three years.</div><div> </div><div>Pradhan said new depots, product pipelines, LPG terminals and imported LPG terminals in Odisha would entail an investment over Rs 4,500 crore.</div><div> </div><div>Berhampur terminal would be modernised and new depot would come up in Bhubaneswar. In addition to that more depots will be opened in South and Western Odisha. Balasore depot will be modernised under new expansion plan, he said.</div><div> </div><div>The minister said under new expansion plan LPG distribution centres will be established within 15 km radius in all Gram Panchayats of Odisha.</div><div> </div><div>He said new expansion plan would create direct jobs to about 5,000 persons. Now over 10,000 people are employed in various petroleum projects of central oil companies in Odisha.</div><div> </div><div>Reviewing petrol pump network in the state, the Union minister said the state had 1,449 petrol pumps working at present. Within next three years 300 more petrol pumps will be added to the network.</div><div> </div><div>(PTI)</div>
