New Delhi The Cabinet on Thursday approved the purchase of natural gas from Turkmenistan through a 1700 km cross-border pipeline passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Petroleum and natural gas minister S Jaipal Reddy would be visiting Turkmenistan on May 23-24 to sign the Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA). While the transportation charges for gas would be decided by the consortium of companies that would construct the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) pipeline, India would pay a $0.50 per million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) transit fee to Afghanistan and Pakistan for letting gas through their territory.