Dated 20.6.2013
RESPONSE TO MINISTER OF PETROLEUM,
MR. VEERAPPA MOILY’S STATEMENT
BY GURUDAS DAS GUPTA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Mr. Moily’s statement is misleading and malicious. I request
him to kindly identify the vested interest I am representing.
The point in question is that Mr. Jaipal Reddy had issued the order
imposing penalty on RIL for deliberately reducing the production level.
It is amazing that he says that the file did not come to him. The
matter was in the public domain. Everybody knew the penalty that had
been imposed but the Minister who succeeds Mr. Jaipal Reddy does not
know the matter. It is a deliberate ignorance to shift the burden on to
his officers. It is all well known that Reliance refused to pay
penalty, asked for arbitration. Even two arbitrators had been appointed
by both the parties. Even lawyers have been appointed by the Ministry
of Petroleum. In fact, the two judges were involved in discussion to
nominate the third. Such a long, long process that has taken place
during the time of his predecessor cannot be unknown to him. Government
is a continuing process. When a new Minister takes office he must know
what his predecessor has done. Mr. Moily in an interview to Economic
Times on 23rd January, 2013 had made a statement. To quote, “The
Government is thinking to junk the arbitration and start direct
negotiations.” He further said that the government has a weak case in
arbitration. If Minister speaks in this way, what is the message that
goes to his officials? The most intriguing is that on the one hand he
says that the file was not put up to him, on the other, he makes a
public statement debunking arbitration. It is a case of cynical
hypocrisy. Therefore, it is not a case of ignorance but a deliberate
attempt to sabotage the process of realizing the penalty and undermining
arbitration. The second question that arises is that why he has not
given the notice for penalty for the year of 2012-13 when the production
had further declined. In fact, if the calculation is correctly made,
the penalty should have been 1.7 billion dollars.
Why he is
closing his eyes to further sharp decline in the current year which is
almost 19 per cent of the approved level of production.
In
case of relinquishment of the area given to Reliance, the CAG asked for
vacation of at least 50 per cent of the allotted area. The Director
General of Hydrocarbon has submitted his report categorically stating
that 83 per cent of the area should be surrendered. Why he has not
taken any action so far. Why he is allowing Reliance to occupy 6000 sq.
km area illegally.
In fact, the Minister in a statement
published in a number of papers on 16th June, 2013 said that he will not
be guided by technical advice but shall always favour production and
investment. Here again he is speaking against relinquishment to favour
the corporate raising the slogan of ‘improving production and
investment.’
All of us would welcome massive investment in
the oil and gas sector to make India self-reliant but that cannot be at
the cost of loot of national resources.
Therefore, the
collusion of the Minister with the corporate is clear. He wants to
condone the criminality of underproduction and consequent damage to the
Indian economy and allow the corporate to grab 6000 sq. km in violation
of the contract.
संदेश
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