BIGGEST SCAM: NATURAL GAS SCAM
The draft report of the Comptroller
and Auditor General had accused the Petroleum Ministry and Director General of
Hydrocarbon of “having failed to protect Governments financial interests”. This
news shook the nation when media broke it .But the CBI had been lethargically
and in slow pace pursuing a preliminary enquiry from 2009 into the role of
Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry and of Directorate General of Hydrocarbon in
their corporate dealings more specifically with Reliance Industries Limited.
Government of India headed by
Dr.Manmohan Singh had always stood by corporate lobby and had extended
step-motherly treatment to Government organizations like Oil and Natural Gas
Commission. British Petroleum in 2005-2006 proposed to partner ONGC in three of
its deep sea-blocks in Krishna-Godavari block in Bay of Bengal and in
Gujarat-Kutch basin in Arabian Sea.
Our question to Honorable S.Jaipal
Reddy current Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister who yesterday 20th
June in press conference had defended his predecessor’s decisions is as follows
:
1.
British Petroleum made formal proposal to take 40 to 50
percent stake in ONGC’s three blocks in 2005-2006. Why did Oil and Natural Gas
Ministry and Director General of Hydro-carbon REJECT IT ?
2.
The same British Petroleum had no other option but to embrace
Reliance Industries Limited by agreeing to pay $7.2 billion dollars to acquire
30 percent stake in oil blocks of Reliance Industries Limited including KG-D6
fields . ONGC lost $7.2 billion dollars and Reliance Industries Limited bagged
this, due to the nepotism and favoritism shown by Oil and Natural Gas Ministry
towards a corporate organization at the cost of Government organization. Is it
not a scam or is it not a matter of shame ?
3.
ONGC has a gas discovery block next to Reliance Industries
Limited block of KG-D 6. The ONGC block is named as KG-DWN -98/2. In September
2007 ONGC proposed to give out 15 percent interest in the block to Brazil’s
Petrobras. ONGC also wanted to give out 10 percent to Norway’s Norsk Hydro. Why
did the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry drag the issue for over a year and
driving out two major nations Oil giants . Their partnership would have been a
boost to ONGC , a government of India enterprise. Why Manmohan Singh was not
aware of this act ?
4.
In Gujarat-Kutch basin ONGC had license for petroleum
exploration valid till August 2008. So British Petroleum which had an oil block
in Pakistan bordering ONGC’s GK-DW 1 block was interested to tie up with ONGC. Both
British Petroleum and ONGC had even signed an Memorandum of Understanding. But
the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry adamantly refused and rejected by the
end of 2007. It was not for extending the license of ONGC which ends in August
2008. Why people of India need not break their heads. ONGC is after all a
Government of India enterprise, so it need not be encouraged is the policy
thrust of UPA government. The irony is that British Government lobbied hardly
for this project and even UK government’s lobbying does not melt the Petroleum
Ministry.
5.
For KARAIKAL-TAMILNADU media : In Cauvery basin CY-DWN-2001/1
deep water block production sharing contract duly signed by ONGC, Oil India and
Petrobras of Brazil was submitted to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry in
2009 January for clearance. It was stonewalled by the Ministry.
6.
Six oil blocks three of which in KG basin, two off the
Kerala-Konkan basin and one in Gujarat’s Kutch were given on nomination basis
to ONGC in 2000. The Government organization struggled hard but it did not get
clearances, may be a lobbyist had not been hired by ONGC.
7.
Out of 33 oil blocks identified Reliance Industries Limited
bagged 23 oil blocks and on that strength entered into a tie-up with British
Petroleum. It is crystal clear that Government of India wanted to hand over all
oil blocks to RIL, and the gigantic scam with Himalayan proportions has yet to
be quantified.
8.
CPI[ M] had alerted the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry
and Prime Minister over this gas scam. But as usual deadly silence from Government
quarters. CPI[M] in official statement accuses “ The price of natural gas for
consumers was fixed at 4.2 dollar/unit by Empowered Group of Ministers in
September 2007 in favour of RIL overlooking its earlier offer of 2.34
dollar/unit for the same to National Thermal Power Corporation.” SO RIL MUST
MAKE PROFITS, that seems to be the Government of India policy which wants to
kill the consumer with burden.
9.
Dinamani, Tamil daily in its editorial dated 20-5-2011 says
that we are offering the crude oil produced by ONGC to corporate giants at 30
percent less than international rates. If you read this along with CPI[ M]
statement the GAS SCAM of UPA could be understood, though we have to wait for
Comptroller and Auditor General to QUANTIFY it. Anyhow this will be the BIGGEST
SCAM of THIS CENTURY IN INDIA.
We urge the CBI which
prepared the Preliminary Enquiry in 2009 to hasten to file an FIR in the wake
of CAG’s draft report and start the probe without delay.
N.Nandhivarman
General Secretary Dravida
Peravai
21.06.2011
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