Work on IPI pipeline to start by March

India on Friday expressed confidence that the work on the proposed $7-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project would start by March next year as it is hopeful of finalising a transit fee agreement with Islamabad before that.

India is confident of starting the 2775 km long IPI project by end of March 2008, M S Srinivasan, secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, told reporters in Coimbatore.

He said talks with Pakistan to iron out differences on the transit fee issue were stopped due to political developments in that country and the negotiations would be resumed soon.

India has already discussed the issue of gas price and transportation charges with Pakistan and only the transit fee issue remained to be solved, he said.

Srinivasan expressed confidence that the issue would be solved and the project through by March 2008.

After holding bilateral talks with Pakistan, there would be trilateral discussions with India, Pakistan and Iran, to finalise all aspects of the project, he said.