India, March 25 -- New Delhi

The government on Tuesday notified a new legal framework by invoking the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) that will make it mandatory on landowners to grant "right of way" for expeditious and timebound laying of gas pipelines in the country to reduce over-dependence on any single fuel, particularly imported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Elaborating "right of way" as one of the key elements of the notification, the notification said, "The Central Government considers it necessary in public interest for a uniform framework to address issues that hinder the laying of such pipelines including denial of access to land, delay in approvals, delay in grant of right of way or right of user in the land, high fee and c...