The Hindu : Business : RIL-RNRL row: PMO seeks status report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 02, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Business

Business

RIL-RNRL row: PMO seeks status report

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has intervened in the RIL-RNRL row and sought a ‘status report’ on the National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPCs) stake and validity of its contract in the RIL-RNRL legal dispute over supply of national gas especially in the light of Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry’s move to seek a vacation of injunction in the High Court on the sale of gas from the KG-basin D6 block.

Highly placed sources informed that the PMO had asked the Power Ministry to prepare a ‘status report’ on the issue and submit the same to get the basics of the case. NTPC has right through the legal battle maintained that it had a contract with RIL for supply of gas and the same had been concluded but not executed. However, RIL had maintained that the RIL-NTPC contract had not been executed on ground and even the Government counsel had stated last month in the High Court that NTPC had no contract with RIL, a position disputed by NTPC and the Power Ministry.

“The PMO has asked us to send a status report on the chronology of the entire sequence of the case since 2003. We are preparing a document on the same as we have a water tight case and will not give up on the issue. We are entitled to the contracted gas from the RIL’s KG basin and we will stick to our stand in our reply to the PMO as well as in the court. The Power Ministry has understood our point of view and is strongly behind us,” a senior NTPC official associated with the development informed.

The issue had taken an interesting turn with the Power Ministry reportedly deciding to intervene in the matter and oppose any plea for vacation of stay by the Petroleum Ministry. “We will now wait for advice from the PMO on the matter and then decide our legal course. We are also getting in touch with the Petroleum Ministry to seek a clarification on the entire matter as the Ministry cannot speak on behalf of NTPC or its contract with RIL. RIL has an obligation and it will have to fulfil the same,” a senior Power Ministry official said.

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

Business