Based on impact identification on wildlife values and likely impact assessment during the construction and operational phases following conclusions were drawn.

1. The following considerations need to be reckoned with, when assessing the overall merit of an oil pipeline project. In this case, the augmentation of Viramgam - Koyali crude oil pipeline (SMPL), project has been considered :

i. That country needs to import crude oil from overseas and the Arabian countries will be nearest source.

ii. That crude oil needs to be transported to the regional refineries; in this case augmented requirements of Gujarat and Mathura refineries and of the upcoming Panipat refinery.

iii. That pipelines are the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transport in the long term because their operational costs are lowest, transportation losses are minimal and they help relieve pressure on the already stressed road and rail transport systems.

2. On above considerations oil pipelines are to be welcomed in preference to other modes of transport, especially because transportation of oil to different regions of the country is inevitable.

3. Having admitted the inevitability and the efficiency of pipeline mode of oil transportation, the environmental impacts of the pipeline projects need to be brought to the minimum and whatever impacts that do result, need to be mitigated as much as possible. Where essential, compensatory measures for important environmental values lost need to be provided for.

4. The most effective way of minimising the impacts is to choose a route which steers clear of high value ecological (flora-fauna) sites.
From this angle, the proposed VK pipeline projects have been evaluated as follows :-

5.1 Conclusions and Mitigation measures along VK section :
No significant impacts in this section have been visualized. Hence, no mitigatory measures have been suggested