The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has asked the Indian government to grant infrastructure status for slurry pipelines to address the bulk transportation needs of the domestic steel industry, expressing its concern over poor logistics infrastructure regarding iron ore and coal supply.
ASSOCHAM stated that transporting iron ore and coal by pipelines in slurry form has advantages like low operating costs and higher availability, while it is also environmentally friendly.
In 2008, pipelines for water, oil and gas were granted infrastructure status by India's Planning Commission, but slurry pipelines were not.