Sunday, November 20, 2011

बागवानी में पंजाब अव्वल, अच्छा किन्नू देगा फायदा

गांव खिप्पांवाली में लक्ष्मीनारायण पेड़ीवाल एग्रो व फ्रूट फार्म में किन्नू प्रजाति के फल पर सेमिनार का आयोजन किया गया। इसमें पंजाब कृषि यूनिवर्सिटी लुधियाना के डायरेक्टर डॉक्टर एमएस गिल, डॉक्टर जेएस जोसन, डॉक्टर मोनिका गुप्ता डीईएम फिरोजपुर, डॉक्टर एचएच गिल डिप्टी डायरेक्टर फिरोजपुर, डॉक्टर राकेश शारदा भू सर्वेक्षण विशेषज्ञ, बागवानी विशेषज्ञ सुशील पेड़ीवाल, सिद्धार्थ पेड़ीवाल, प्रेम बब्बर, संजीव नागपाल, सुरेन्द्र आहूजा आदि उपस्थित थे। 
इस मौके पर किसानों ने बागवानी में आ रही समस्याओं से अवगत करवाया। पीएयू के डायरेक्टर ने किसानों की समस्याओं व सुझावों पर अमल करने का भरोसा दिलाया कि बागवानी में पंजाब सबसे आगे है। इस इलाके के किन्नू की बढिय़ा क्वालिटी के कारण किसानों को आर्थिक फायदा भी मिलेगा। इससे पहले सभी ने किन्नुओं की विभिन्न प्रजातियों, मधुमक्खियों के शहद व अन्य प्रदर्शनी भी देखी। बागों में लगे किन्नू के उन पौध का भी सर्वेक्षण किया जो लगभग 30 वर्ष से गुणवत्ता के आधार पर फल दे रहे हैं। 
बिजली सप्लाई सही हो, दें वित्तीय सहायता 
इस अवसर पर बागबानी विशेषज्ञ सुशील पेड़ीवाल ने बताया कि पंजाब में 69000 हेक्टेयर भूमि पर बागवानी होती है। इसमें होशियारपुर, फाजिल्का, अबोहर, बठिंडा, मुक्तसर, फरीदकोट इलाके में 41 हजार हेक्टेयर भूमि में किन्नू की पैदावार होती है, जो देश-विदेशों में भेजा जा रहा है। उन्होंने किसानों को बागवान के लिए आ रही समस्याओं बारे भी डायरेक्टर को बताया। उन्होंने कहा कि ड्रिप सिचाई के लिए बिजली की सप्लाई ठीक ढंग से नहीं दी जाती। 
इस कारण किसानों को परेशान होना पड़ता है। उन्होंने मांग की है कि नहरी पानी इकट्ठा करने के लिए बनाई जाने वाली डिग्गी के लिए किसानों को वित्तीय सहायता दी जाए। 
विभाग के डिप्टी डायरेक्टर जनार्दन सिंह बराड़ ने प्रगतिशील किसानों को सरकार द्वारा दी जाने वाली सब सिडी व एनएचएम के द्वारा नए बाग लगाने के लिए वित्तीय सहायता की जानकारी दी। (लछमण)

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nasa Agro to invest `407 crores for industrial park at Fazilka

Daily Post, 18 November 2011, DAILY BUSINESS, Page 3

Nasa Agro Industries Limited (NAIL) has decided to invest over Rs 407 crore to set up an integrated agro industrial park at Fazilka in Punjab, which would create around 13000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people of the state. The Screening Committee of Punjab government had last week approved six agri mega projects involving a total capital investment of Rs 1,653 crore. Sanjay Kumar, Managing Director, Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) said the government had received new proposals to set up mega agro based industries. "Nasa Agro Industries has proposed to invest Rs 407.03 crore to set up an integrated agro industrial park in Fazilka district," he said. The industrial park is expected to have number of agro based industrial units. "Coming up of an industrial park in this area will create additional infrastructure for agro based industries, as Fazilka is primarily an agricultural district," said Kumar. 

Agro industrial project would be set up in approximately 548.34 acres of land in seven revenue estates including Painchanwali, Rana, Jatanwali, Lashkardin, Salemshah and Badha of district Fazilka. 

Out of the total land area, the promoters own 358.34 acres of land and consent agreements in respect of another 82.85 acres of land have been obtained, and another 11.66 acres ownership of the land is through acquisition and contiguity. The remaining 95 acres in village near Khuli- Khera, near Abohar, is proposed to be acquired through the government. 

The main objective of agro park is to address the problems of salinity of water, water logging, unemployment and poverty of the Malwa region. The entire project is expected to provide direct employment to 5000 people and indirect employment to 8000 people. The park would provide common facilities and linkages for smooth running of the upcoming units in the park. 

"NAIL has also proposed to set up a centre of excellence in the park to train farmers, entrepreneurs in the field of allied activities and agro processing. The focus area of development is expected to be grain processing, fish processing, mushroom cultivation and processing, milk processing and handling along with fruits and vegetable processing and handling. "For regular supply of quality raw material, developers would undertake procurement planning, input distribution centre, demonstration farm and other activities. The company would also set up 100 food marts as signature shops and further expansion through franchise arrangement to cover more than 100 outlets in the region has to be done. "The project would be developed in two phases. In Phase-I, Nasa Agro Industries proposes to invest Rs 250 crore from 2011- 16 and the remaining Rs 150 crore in Phase-II in 2016-2021," added Kumar. So far, more than 40 agro based mega projects have been cleared by the government and they are at different stages of implementation as well as completion. These units are likely to invest more than Rs 4,000 crore in the state of Punjab.

Monday, November 14, 2011

गुदड़ी के लाल साबित हुए दोना नानका के नौनिहाल

अमृत सचदेवा, फाजिल्का

कौन कहता है, आसमां में छेद नहीं होता, एक पत्थर तो तबियत से उछालो यारो, यह कहावत आज बाल दिवस पर देहाती इलाके खासकर भारत-पाक सीमा जैसे दुर्गम इलाके में बसे गांव दोना नानका के सरकारी प्राइमरी स्कूल के उन सभी बच्चों पर बिल्कुल सच साबित होती है। स्कूल के इन बच्चों का पहाड़े सुनाने के मामले में इलाके, जिले, पंजाब यहां तक कि पूरे देश में कोई सानी नहीं है।

बता दें कि गांव के इस प्राइमरी स्कूल के बच्चे न केवल पहाड़े सुनाने के मुकाबले में बल्कि शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में भी कई उपलब्धियां हासिल कर चुके हैं। स्कूल की दो छात्राओं संतो बाई ने दो साल पहले पूरे पंजाब में पहले व दूसरे स्थान पर कब्जा जमाया था। प्रांतीय स्तर पर हुए पहाड़ा मुकाबले पहली कक्षा के रोशन, दूसरी कक्षा की सिमरजीत, तीसरी कक्षा की गुरमीत व चौथी कक्षा की पिंकी प्रथम रही थीं। दूसरी कक्षा के राज, तीसरी कक्षा की सुखप्रीत व पांचवीं कक्षा की सीमा रानी ने दूसरा स्थान हासिल किया था। दूसरी कक्षा की जसमी कौर व पांचवीं कक्षा की निशा ने तीसरा स्थान हासिल किया है।

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सरकारी स्कूलों के लिए नजीर

फाजिल्का: स्पेशल बच्चों की पौध से सजा यह स्कूल पूरे राज्य के सभी सरकारी स्कूलों के लिए नजीर भी है। इस स्कूल में भी अन्य सरकारी स्कूलों जितना ही स्टाफ है। लेकिन स्टाफ द्वारा बच्चों पर की जा रही मेहनत इस स्कूल व इसके बच्चों को दूसरे सभी सरकारी स्कूलों से जुदा करती है। पांच कक्षाओं के लिए नियुक्त तीन स्थायी अध्यापकों इंचार्ज लवजीत सिंह, सुरेंद्र पाल कौर व सुखपाल रानी ने अपने खर्च पर तीन अस्थायी अध्यापिकाएं रखी हैं।

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अभिभावकों को अपने सपूतों पर गर्व

फाजिल्का: अपने बच्चों की उपलब्धियों पर स्कूल स्टाफ के साथ अभिभावक भी गर्व से फूले नहीं समाते। गांव के करनैल सिंह, जगदीश सिंह, रेशम सिंह, जीत सिंह, गुलजार सिंह, चिमन सिंह, सरदार सिंह ने कहा कि गांव में शहर के अनेक माडर्न व सुविधा संपन्न निजी स्कूलों की वैन बच्चों को लेने आती हैं। लेकिन वह अपने गांव के सरकारी स्कूल में करवाई जाने वाली पढ़ाई से बेहद खुश हैं।

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Pedalling their way to new identity-Deccan Herald

Gautam Dheer in Chandigarh, 13th November 2011

He may not have hogged the limelight given his limited resources, yet Ludhiana-based Rangeela has three Punjabi folk albums to his credit and is dreaming big.

Not very faraway in the Fazilka district of Punjab, Major Singh burns the midnight, oil aspiring to crack the civil services examination one day. Both Singh and Rangeela have one thing in common-their occupation. Both are rickshaw pullers, albeit in a separate league. They are part of a network in Punjab where, just like the dial-a-cab facility in top metros of the country, residents dial-a-rickshaw--to be corr­ect an eco-cab as they prefer it.  
    
This facility in various Punjab towns is redefining the entire spectrum of this age-old occupation, slowly transforming lives of those earning a living out of it. It has defined a structure to this unorga­nised set-up to the advantage of both the user and the rickshaw puller. Besides, it promises to take care of a whole lot of critical issues like traffic congestion, air pollution, parking, and road safety.     
 
Here's how it works. About 4,000 eco-cabs in Fazilka, Patiala, Amritsar and a few other districts in Punjab are just a call away. The facility is available 9 to 5 all days of the week. A standard Rs 5 per km is charged from those using the service. A feedback mechanism, too,  is in place where customers can lodge their protest in case of overcharging or misbehaviour. Like in motor cabs, an initial Rs 10 "start-up cost" is added to the bill for reaching your doorstep.    
In the heart of border town Fazilka, where the concept was set rolling by a team of young and spirited IIT graduates, a tea vendor sits under the shade of a tree and acts as a "customer care executive" handling close to 50 calls a day on phone from custo­mers seeking rickshaws. The facility is now available  online as well. 

Talking to Deccan Herald, Navdeep Asija, who heads the Graduates Welfare Association-Fazilka, a local NGO,  explained as to how the concept has empowered those pushing hard on the pedal. The most scary part of the life of a rickshawala is the thought of his illness or that of his family. "His entire earnings are drained out in one go in case of a medical emergency. 
For those who are a part of the eco-cab concept, we have arranged for free treatment for the entire family," he said.     
 
Asija said the association has tied up with nine private doctors in the small town of Fazilka where these people can walk in, take treatment and walk out healthy, free of charge, he added. A tie-up for heavily discounted medicine at chemist shops has also been made to lessen the cost of treatment. Two laboratories provide almost free diagnostic facilities to registered rickshaw pullers. The association is also looking at workable options for sustained education of children of these people. "The idea is to address everyday issues of these people, only then will begin a pattern of savings with whatever little to begin with," Asija added. Veeru and Surinder, the two who manage calls from customers in Fazilka, say their business has  provided them with  an identity to live with.     
  
In Patiala, the concept has found, perhaps, a more structured approach. Here, 3,000-odd green  vehicles have been rolled out under the dial-a-rickshaw project. Rickshawalas don a green uniform. The rickshaws are lighter in weight, more efficient, sturdy and above all financed by State Bank of Patiala. This finance facility  at 4 per cent interest will ensure less exploitation and eventually ownership of the rickshaw to these people. What's more, in  Amritsar and Patiala, these people will  double up as tourist guides. A programme to train them in etiquette, behavioural skills and expertise that are required to be a tourist guide is on the anvil.

The existing Punjab Cycle Rickshaw Act of 1976 is a dampener to the change-in-the-offing, Asija said. An amendment to the Act is being demanded since it lays a cap on the pedallers age at 45 years.     

Asija said the act is likely to be amended to change these clauses. Lured by the uniqueness of the concept, the UT administration of Chandigarh is also exploring possibilities of starting this concept in the city. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States is studying the eco cab project. With an aim at helping civic bodies offset the traditional car-centric development patterns. The project has been titled "Future of Urban Mobility." 

Moving ahead in this direction, a research team from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT has also visited Fazilka to study the concept.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/204377/pedalling-their-way-identity.html

Friday, November 11, 2011

Agri-business projects worth Rs 1,653 cr to come up in Punjab

PTI | 06:11 PM,Nov 11,2011

Chandigarh, Nov 11 (PTI) Punjab has received investment proposals worth Rs 1,653 crore in agro-business vertical, with large chunk of money being invested into setting up of food grain warehouses and rice mills. The Screening Committee of the Punjab Government approved six projects under 'Agri Mega' Projects Scheme involving capital investment of Rs 1,653 crore, an official said here. Among major projects, Soma Punjab Warehousing has proposed to invest a sum of Rs 615 crore in construction of warehouses for storing food grain at 12 different locations with capacity of 12.98 lakh tonne. Soma Punjab Agro-Power Infra has proposed to set up eight rice mills with a capacity of 20TPH and a bio-mass power plant of 3 MW with proposed investment of Rs 472 crore, he said. Another company, Indian Sucross Limited has proposed to invest around Rs 140 crore which will be spent on reviving closed unit of Mukerian Paper Limited with capacity expansion programme. In addition to it, soda recovery plant and power cogeneration plant would also be set up. An integrated agro industrial park is proposed to set up in Fazilka by Nasa Agro Industries Limited with injection of Rs 400 crore. A project for producing bio-fertilizer would come up in Ferozepur with investment of Rs 33.56 crore by Sampuran Agri Ventrues and would use saline water, which is at present creating a lot of waste land in water logged areas. It would also provide facilities for mushroom growing & packaging, egg hatchery, dairy farming as well as power co-generation. Bajaj Basmati would set up a 8 TPH rice mill in Jalalabad with an investment of Rs 30.56 crore. So far more than 40 Agro based mega projects has been cleared by the state government which are likely to invest more than Rs 4,000 crore in the state, he said.

Saviours of Fazilka - 67th Infantry Brigade of Indian Army

The rising waters of Satluj river in the areas around Fazilka reached an alarming level in August this year. Following the release of more than 70,0000 cusecs of water daily during the period from 24 August 2011 till 01 September 2011, the river was in spates. As per official sources another cause of concern was the over flowing 'Buddha Nala' in Pakistan where too the water levels had risen sharply. The agro based economy of Fazilka was likely to be shattered as a result of extensive damage to the standing crops of basmati variety of rice in over 15,000 acres of land following the floods. On 26 August 2011 DC Fazilka requisitioned Fazilka Bde ' 67 Inf Bde' for a column of Indian Army to assist civil administration in providing flood relief in Fazilka Sector. A column of 18 Garhwal Rifles (Dras) comprising of two officers, five JCOs and 70 OR and a team of 58 Engineer Regiment was immediately launched for assistance. The Flood Relief team carried out initial recce of the site along with the civil administration personnel, the Deputy Commissioner Fazilka and team of NDRF team. Due to the timely and relentless efforts put in by soldiers of the Indian army in strengthening various anti flood bunds, a major mishap was averted. However at around 1515hrs due to the heavy volume of water discharge, approximately 15 metres of breach occurred in a private bund constructed by the villagers near Drona Sikandri which resulted in inundation of about 15,000 acres of cultivated land in the border areas. At around 1830 hrs on the request of SDM Fazilka a rescue operation was launched by the troops of Indian army to save five adults and three children isolated in Drona Sikandri. With immediate action and meticulous planning the marooned villagers were successfully evacuated to safety. Indian Army personnel along with irrigation department and civil administration worked relentlessly round the clock in strengthening the anti flood bund which was getting eroded at various places due to the heavy water discharge from head works. During the flood relief operations in Fazilka a total of 50 marooned villagers were evacuated to safety and about 40,000 acres of cultivated land of villagers was saved. 'Saviours of Fazilka Brigade' once again proved their mettle in aid to civil authorities.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Happy Gurpurab !! - Letter to Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Dear Baba Ji,
Happy Gurpurab!!!

On this auspicious occasion of Gurpurab, I am taking this privilege and hereby submitting you the status report of your teachings and their interpolation in KALYUG-2 as follows;

1. "Pawan Guru Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat" has been reinvented by the majority of mankind like "Paisa Mata, Paisa Pita" and to achieve this that they made Mother earth completely Drug addict via pollution and pesticides. "Guru Ka Bagh" concept only exists in papers and history books; instead of planting we are cutting many trees to make concrete jungle. There is no new Gurudwars in Kalyug -2 to be named it as Tahli Sahib, Ber Sahib or Reetha Sahib.

2. "Kirat Karo Naam Japo, Vand Chako", because of NAREGA, people living in rural areas have already stopped working i.e. "Kirat Karo" and very few are left with the possibility to follow concept "Vand Chako", as the cost of living for aam admi is very high, practically not possible to follow "Share and Consume together". As far as the question of "Naam Japo" is concern, it is only being used to fulfill everyone's own greed. Bhai Lalo is almost on the verge of extinction; All Malik Bhago in power are too busy in wealth accumulation at the cost of livelihood of Many Bhai Lalo. 

3. "Ek Pita, Ekus Ke Hum Barik" is very much outdated in this KALYUG-2 and the concept has been outsourced. Many home made baba's are taking care of it; again your teachings have become the source of earning for many. Babbu Mann already informed you via his song last year.

4. "So Kayon Manda Aakhiye, Jis Jamme Rajan", is being labled as "Chammak Chalo" these days. Recently bollywood made 137 crore in one month out of it. Jalebi Bai, Munni and Sheela are the other common names are used in KALYUG -2 to honour women; perhaps they also love it. Punjab, your own homeland state has emerged as biggest killer of Females, with lowest sex ratio. Money acquired without values can result in any direction.

5. "Walking"- Baba ji, you walked almost 28000 kilometer in all the direction on this earth to spread the message of love and humanity, but in today our policy makers left almost no place for pedestrians to walk. Last year 40% people who die on our roads were pedestrian. 

6. "Langar Pratha" has got complete new corporate look and it is being served as a part of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of Gurudwars; else most of the caretakers are least interested in this non profitable venture.

Being a student of your college, I took this liberty to inform you in my own way and my apologies if I hurted the sentiments of any anyone. May the teaching of the yours reflect goodness and compassion in every human being and bring into their life, the glow of happiness & prosperity. 

"Satgur Nanak Pargateya, Mitee Dhund Jag Chanan Hoya"

Yours Obediently, 

Navdeep,

"Nanak Nich kahe vichaar, Waria na jaava ek waar, 
Jo tud bhave sai bhali kaar, Tu sada salamat nirankaar"
 


With yield static for 4 yrs, experts moot new variety of seeds

Raakhi Jagga, Indian Express

Ferozepur With the yield of rabi and kharif crops remaining stagnant for the past four years, there is a need for new variety of seeds to improve farming practices or for some seed treatment, experts told a farmers training cam here.

"Wheat production was 164 lakh tonne last year but this year we are targeting only 154 lakh tonne. A few new varieties of seeds can help increase the production. This year farmers got PBW 621 variety and HD 2967 certified by PAU but they were limited in quantity. The yield wil be know in April only," Nirankar Singh Saran, joint director in agriculture department, said.

Saran also asked the farmers not to do stubble burning so as to maintain fertility of the soil.

Yuvraj Pandha, assistant professor—plant protection cell of Krishi Vigyan Kendra—said most of the farmers do not do seed treatment.

"Majority of the farmers hardly do seed treatment for diseases like loose smut and later they suffer from poor yield. This is also resulting in the static growth for past many years," he said.

The agriculture department has been promoting only Happy Seeder, which can do direct sowing of wheat seeds without burning the straw. The cost of this machine is Rs 1.15 lakh and farmers' commission also gives subsidy worth Rs 60,000 but still farmers are not interested in buying it.

"The whole state is having only a few such machines. Farmers do not want to spend time and money, they just want to burn the land and make it ready for the next crop," Saran said.

Ferozepur and Fazilka Additional Development Officer M S Bhullar said they were spreading awareness and a few are following it. "Till the time an Act is not framed, people will not stop stubble burning," he said.

In the training camp, apart from display of new machines, the main focus was on spreading awareness on stubble burning.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Seven Gujarati tourists killed in Jalalabad road mishap

JALALABAD: Seven pilgrims from Gujarat, including women and children, were killed and more than 30 injured, some of them seriously, when their private tourist bus skidded off the road and rolled down into a drain on way to Amritsar, near Jalalabad town in Fazilka district of Punjab, early morning on Sunday.

According to information, the passengers were on a pilgrimage tour to Amritsar and Vaishno Devi shrine from Ahmedabad in Gujarat when it plunged into the drain as the driver apparently dozed off while at the wheel.

Four tourists, who died on the spot, could not be identified while three others, who breathed their last on way to the local civil hospital, have been identified as Raj Kumar, Rasilaben and Prabhu Lal. As the news of the accident spread, local NGOs, police and medical staff reached the spot and started rescue work.

The injured were taken to the local civil hospital and those in critical condition were referred to medical college in Faridkot.

The injured pilgrims, who have been admitted in the local civil hospital, are Kamalbhai, Mogjibhai, Chawla Bhogilal, Karsanbhai, Kantaben, Saraswatiben, Jayaben, Rishu, Bamilaben, Himmatbhai, Pamilaben, Premhi Bhai, Niraliben and Moneyben. The bodies of the victims have been sent to the civil hospital in Fazilka for post mortem examination.

Charandev Singh Mann, ADC, Fazilka, said that the district administration has made arrangements for the return journey of the remaining passengers.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Farmers sore as Basmati fails to fetch good price

With private shellers refusing to give them good prices, Basmati crop has added to the worries of farmers. This year, the best variety of Basmati was sold at Rs 1,600 per quintal, while last year, farmers had got more than Rs 2,400 per quintal. The famous mandis of Jalalabad and Fazilka — known as the hub of basmati crop — have also seen minimum procurement.

Jasbir Singh, a farmer from Ferozepur village, said: "Three years ago, the price of basmati crop was Rs 4,000 per quintal. Every year, private shellers are paying less and less and this year, prices have fallen to Rs 1,600 per quintal even for the finest quality. The average quality is getting as low as Rs 1,400 per quintal."

According to sources in the mandis, exporters still have the previous year's stock left with them and therefore, do not want to buy more. They have also reduced the advance payments to the rice shellers.

The shellers, on the other hand, are giving payment at one month credit to the ahrtiyas — the rate was one week only last year. Due to the delayed payment, ahrtiyas were not ready to make swift payments to farmers, which in turn, was leading farmers to sell their stock at throwaway prices.

When contacted, Director (Agriculture) B S Sidhu, said: "Area under basmati cultivation has increased from 5.5 lakh hectare to 6 lakh hectare this year. Looking at the dismal pricing of the crop, we appeal to the Centre to appoint an agency on the lines of the Cotton Corporation of India for basmati crop. MSP for this crop should also be fixed. The agency should step in when the prices in mandis fall below the MSP. These steps are a must because basmati helps in improving the water table as well, as it absorbs less water."

Rajiv Ahuja, a commission agent, said: "I sold my product in Jalalabad mandi after waiting for more than 15 days. There is hardly any activity in Fazilka and Jalalabad mandis. International pricing of Basmati has fallen and even exporters have piled up stocks and therefore, this crisis. Farmers will have to bear the brunt if the government fixes no MSP for the crop."

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Trans-Afghan gas pipeline, the dream that won’t die

KABUL: On paper, it's one of the sweetest gas deals there is. At one end, the world's second largest gas field; at the other, 1.2 billion people demanding clean energy, and in the middle, countries in desperate need of revenues and jobs.

In reality — and especially when that reality passes through Afghanistan and Pakistan en route to India — things are a lot tougher.

Only last week, Pakistan's Petroleum Ministry said it had agreed purchase terms with putative gas supplier Turkmenistan, and would sign a contract in mid-November. An official in the ministry said Turkmenistan would supply 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas per day for 25 years.

For a pipeline that doesn't exist outside of the imagination, it was a bold step.

The idea of a 1,700-km pipeline from Turkmenistan to India, known as TAPI, isn't new. In the mid-1990s, Afghanistan's then-rulers, the Taliban, talked to an American energy firm about building it.

Almost 15 years and no gas later, the Taliban have been kicked out of power, thousands have been killed in Afghanistan during the US-led war, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is one of the most dangerous areas in the world — but the pipeline dream won't die.

"Without peace and stability in Afghanistan, the pipeline may become only a pipedream," said Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra, a researcher with the Centre for Central Eurasian Studies at the University of Mumbai.

Violence is at its worst since 2001, according to the United Nations. Foreign forces have already started a security handover in parts of the country, ahead of a full withdrawal of combat troops by the end of 2014. Some fear that when they go, full-scale civil war could break out.

"People are talking about pipelines, roads and railways, and these are all very vulnerable," said Thomas Ruttig, a co-director with Afghanistan Analysts Network in Kabul.

Afghan officials have pledged security forces, and talk about burying part of the pipeline underground, but even then it would still snake through the Taliban heartlands of Helmand and Kandahar in the south of Afghanistan.

"The pipeline is very long and very difficult to defend — you can't put a soldier every 20 metres," Ruttig said.

The Asian Development Bank earlier this year approved around half a million dollars to pay for consultancy and meetings on the project, but when asked at the end of October, it was no longer talking about TAPI.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Mines, the pipeline would pump 33 billion cubic metres a year from the South Iolotan field in Turkmenistan to Fazilka in India, crossing 735 kilometres of Afghan territory, then 800 kilometres in Pakistan.

Between problematic and impossible

Getting Pakistan and India to agree on anything is tough.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars against each other since their independence from Britain in 1947, are prickly enough to scuttle the project without any help from the Taliban.

"Two of the major stakeholders in TAPI, India and Pakistan, have major differences including security and transit fee, and more importantly, trust," Mahapatra said.

But for Afghans, who continue to endure high energy bills and frequent power cuts even in big cities, the potential benefits are so great that the possibility of the pipeline is worth clinging onto.

"Everyone is waiting for the pipeline project because they believe it will be the cheapest energy they will have to run their business," said Ahmad Khalid Yarmand, head of the Afghan business association in western city of Herat, through which the pipeline would pass.

For the other countries in the plan, it could also be a winning deal. India and Pakistan would diversify their gas supply, while Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, wants to triple annual gas exports to 180 bcm by 2030, looking beyond its traditional partner Russia to wider export markets.

Energy experts aren't holding their breath.

"It works economically and is even quite attractive. Needless to say, from the political side, it is somewhere between highly problematic and impossible," said Jonathan Stern, director of gas research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies in Britain.

"It depends what route you take across Afghanistan but nothing looks attractive," he said, adding that, in addition to the security problems, the Indians might in any case refuse to take any gas which crosses Pakistan.

"In summary: it's all very difficult."