He mentioned this in a written reply in Rajya Sabha while answering a question related to TAPI gas pipeline. The Minister said that on 13th December 2015, the Ground Breaking ceremony to start the work on the TAPI pipeline was held at Mary, Turkmenistan.
Earlier in November 2014, the Pipeline Consortium, TAPI Pipeline Company Limited (TPCL) was incorporated in Isle of Man, a British Crown dependency. The Share Holders Agreement of TPCL was also signed on 13th December 2015. The shareholding percentage in the TPCL would be Turkmenistan 85%, India 5%, Pakistan 5% and Afghanistan 5%.
With the Ground Breaking Ceremony on 13th December, 2015 work has begun on the Turkmen leg of the pipeline. The technical study of the TAPI project has estimated an overall project duration of 6¾ years from the start of the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) process till handing over of the pipeline for commercial operation.