Mangaluru : The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry is keen to start, at the earliest, the process of stocking crude oil in underground caverns built by the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL) at Mangalure and take advantage of the global fall in oil prices, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

Talking to presspersons at the District BJP office here on Saturday, Mr. Pradhan said that stocking crude oil in the caverns of the strategic reserve was the major vision of his ministry. “The major strategic reserve of ISPRL will be functional very soon. We want to start filling it up this financial year and cash in on the oil prices that was in a slanting position,” he said.

Mr. Pradhan said that underground caverns in Mangaluru could stock about 2.5 million tonnes of crude oil that was sufficient to meet requirements for a year.

Mr. Pradhan said that the strategic reserve in Mangaluru was likely to be ready by October and the filling of crude oil would follow.

“I will be discussing with officials to advance by few weeks the completion of the Strategic reserve,” he said.

Mr. Pradhan said that his ministry would ask the Kerala government to assuage the feelings of local people opposing the gas pipeline from Mangaluru to Bengaluru via Kochi.

“Early functioning of the Kochi terminal will be beneficial for both Karnataka and Kerala,” he said. Mr. Pradhan added that he was also keen to resolve confusion created by notification regarding the gas pipeline between Mangaluru and the ISPRL unit.

The Prime Minister’s call asking people to come forward to give away subsidy for domestic gas cylinders should not be treated as an activity of the party.

“It should be a movement of citizens,” Mr. Pradhan said, adding that few Chief Ministers, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Ashok Chavan, employees from Tata Group and Kotak Mahindra have submitted applications to give up subsidy. “Even a retired government school teacher Prema Kumari submitted an application in Bengaluru on Friday,” he said. With a subsidy of Rs. 200 per cylinder, a person will be getting Rs. 1,400 for an average seven cylinders consumed for a year. “We are asking people to come forward voluntarily to say no to this subsidy,” he said.

The allegation against Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited regarding the lack of measures to prevent pollution from coke and sulphur recovery units in phase 3 has come to the notice of the Ministry, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

Mr. Pradhan said the issue has come to his notice and he was meeting persons affected from the two units. “I would like to understand the basic issue. I am meeting them tomorrow.” Mr. Pradhan earlier said he would review functioning of MRPL that was a major anchor of industrial development. “This is my first visit and I am trying to under the local dynamics,” he said.