Mumbai, Apr 24 (IANS): The Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has "re-routed" its critical 252-km-long 18-inch diameter oil pipeline connecting Mumbai and Nashik, an official said here on Friday.

The rerouted section - running 48 km - was constructed at a cost of Rs 450 crore and was inaugurated by BPCL Director, Marketing and Refineries, Arun Kumar Singh, according to an official spokesperson.

Constructed over two decades ago, the pipeline was linked with Nashik's important railway junction Manmad, joining the BPCL Fuel Installation facility there with the BPCL Refinery in Mumbai.

It was the veritable 'oil lifeline' for BPCL as more than 80 percent of the diesel and petrol produced at the Mumbai refinery was evacuated through the pipeline.

However, since then, a lot of infrastructural developments, residential or other buildings have sprung up around its route, making it inaccessible for repairs or maintenance and posing risks to people in the vicinity.

Later, the Mumbai-Manmad Pipeline was extended to Delhi, passing through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana to supply petrol, diesel, kerosene, etc to the interiors of the country.