An international consortium proposes to set up a gas pipeline over Bangladesh connecting Myanmar with the Indian states of Tripura and West Bengal. The Myanmar Energy Ministry has put forward the proposal of the Trans Myanmar-Bangladesh Gas Pipeline to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. According to the proposal the Bangladesh government would not make any investment in pipeline construction. The entire investment would be met from foreign private sources, including payment for land acquisition. The Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL), a subsidiary of Petrobangla, has been proposed as the authority for inspecting pipeline construction and maintenance that will bring foreign exchange. If the pipeline is constructed, Bangladesh would also acquire a gas line connection as far as Thailand, since a pipeline between Myanmar and Thailand is now under construction. The pipeline is being constructed after the largest off-shore gas field of Myanmar was found in the Bay of Bengal about 30km off the Myanmar west coast in the surrounding area of Cheduba Islands. The gas field is developed there under a production-sharing contract (PSC) with a multinational energy conglomerate and the export pipeline is under construction to connect the consumers in Thailand.
