Gehlot questions Rajasthan govt over delay in commissioning Pachpadra oil refinery project

Jaipur, Dec 5 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday questioned the state government over the delay in commissioning the Pachpadra oil refinery, asking it to clarify when the project will finally begin operations.

In a post on X, Gehlot said that while the move to start allotting plots to investors in the proposed petro zone around the refinery was welcome, the "core question" of when the production would start remained unanswered.

Gehlot said that during his visit to the refinery site in 2023, officials had assured him that production would begin by December 31, 2024. He added that the current BJP government later announced in the state budget that the refinery would start operations by August 2025, yet no discussion has taken place even after the expiry of that timeline.

The Congress leader also raised concerns regarding the project's escalating cost. He said the refinery was initially estimated at a cost of Rs 38,000 crore, but media reports now suggest the cost may have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore.

"The state government must clarify when the refinery will start and what the total project cost has reached," Gehlot said. PTI AG MNK MNK