The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Rosaiah ridicules Naidu’s promise

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Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Rosaiah ridicules Naidu’s promise

HYDERABAD: Finance Minister K. Rosaiah has ridiculed the promise made by Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu to supply piped gas supplied free of cost, if his party was voted to power.

Taking a dig at the spate of promises being made by Mr. Naidu, the Minister stated at a press conference here on Tuesday that it was next to impossible to supply gas free. Moreover, the TDP president had never taken any steps to tap the natural gas and oil resources available in the State when he was the Chief Minister.

Gas exploration

He recalled that 22 of the 48 blocks for which bids had been invited by the Centre for exploring gas lay in Andhra Pradesh. Although a number of Central and State undertakings had participated in the bids, they were finally bagged by Reliance Industries, ONGC, Cairn Energy and Gujarat State Petrochemicals Limited. Had the TDP Government set up a corporation, the State would have immensely benefited.

PPAs issue

Mr. Rosaiah alleged that the TDP Government signed power purchase agreements with four firms during its rule, even though the Centre did not make a specific allocation of gas to them.

“How can the PPAs be signed on the basis of a letter issued by the Gas Authority of India Limited,” he remarked.

Gas for urban areas

The Finance Minister said it was Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy who pressed the Centre to permit the State to tap oil and gas reserves. The Government also floated the Krishna Godavari Gas Network Limited to supply piped gas to urban consumers.

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