The Hindu : National : Gas issue: Left MPs write to PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 03, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Gas issue: Left MPs write to PM

Special Correspondent

‘Take over distribution rights’

Demand right executive action on correct distribution mechanism
“Ensure distribution through a national gas grid”

NEW DELHI: Thirty Left MP belonging to Left parties have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure that a “national asset” — the natural gas reserves including the gas of KG basin — was not appropriated as “family property.”

In the letter handed over to Dr. Singh on Sunday, they demanded that the government take over distribution and marketing rights of the KG-D6 basin gas at the delivery point so that it could be distributed and marketed through the National Gas Grid as was being done in the case of electricity through the Powergrid Corporation of India. The Gas Authority of India Limited could be the nodal agency for this purpose.

The MPs also opposed linking of the gas prices with the international price of an altogether different product such as crude oil as was done at present by fixing the gas price at $4.32 per mmbtu.

“Hence, the present gas price determined by the EGoM must be revised and it should be benchmarked to $2.34 per mmbtu as offered to the NTPC by RIL in 2004-2005,” they pointed out in the letter.

The letter said the government’s assertion through an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court should be followed by appropriate executive action on a proper distribution mechanism to make the gas available to priority sectors.

“Also, the regional balance in gas distribution should be ensured through a national gas grid as proposed in the budget,” they said.

In the face of “surreptitious and unauthorised” bid to appropriate the country’s sovereign natural resources as “family property” by some private players as pointed out in the government’s affidavit, the Left parties told the Prime Minister that the government must take over distribution and marketing rights of the KG-D6 basin gas.

The signatories to the letter include Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat, Basudeb Acharia, Prashant Chatterjee and D. Raja.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National