An article on misdeeds of UPA in Petroleum sector

COINCIDANCES,TOO MANY

February 2006 UPA I was half way through of their 5 year tenure ,told its fund raisers to fill the coffers swiftly since Elections were approaching, the money spinners of the party likes of Vilas Rao Deshmukh , Ahmed Patel , Murli Deora were assigned the specific roles ,which they have been successfully playing over decades for the Party.
Ministry of Petroleum is one such milch cow for every ruling party Adulteration, Benami Retail outlets , contracts for exploration generate huge black money which is channeled up to Minister& Ministry, till Jan 2006 Ministry was headed by a “spoke in the wheel’ Mani Shankar Aiyar a Top Bureaucrat of yesteryears known for his straight forwardness and fond of calling spade- a- spade, he received sudden marching orders High Command to Panchayati Raj a Non descript Ministry .Murli deora a known polyester yarn broker from Mumbai and ‘cutting Chai” partner of Industry doyen Late Shri Dhiru bhai Ambani was installed as Petroleum Minister. He was an old guard of congress party but a low key operator since Rajiv Gandhi days and a loving ‘unclejee’ to Anil& Mukesh Ambani. Ambani’s are loved equally by Congress & BJP for their deep pockets and responsible for their rise & rise in India’s industrial map .The specific task cut for Deora was to raise funds at least 1000 Cr from the infamous Business houses for forthcoming Elections.
Deora started with a launch of a fuel marker for checking adulteration, such futile attempts are made by Govt. occasionally to fool & hoodwink the public at large pretending that Govt. is really serious to curb adulteration. In fact adulteration is a real money spinner and Rs. 15000 crore annual racket of oil company/Ministry officials .PDS kerosene destined for poor public is siphoned off in the market for mixing with Petrol and diesel due to substantial delta in price of kerosene vs.Motor fuels , Govt.s own agency NCEAR has admitted in their report that 38% of PDS Kerosene is diverted for mixing in connivance with Transporters/Dealers and unscrupulous State/Central Govt. officials. In the guise of checking adulteration a Rs. 200 cr. Order for a Marker was placed on M/S SGS(Recently being awarded a contract for Roads Audit by Maharashtra Govt.) an Indian agent of Authentix a British company, who were handpicked for shipping Marker into India .SGS started extortion since they were mandated by MOP&NG for checking adulteration on Petrol Pumps, 2 officials of HPCL made a complaint to CBI Mumbai in May 2008 , followed by a PIL in Hon. Mumbai High court, who ordered CBI enquiry in Oct 2008, coincidentally the said Marker was withdrawn by Deora within 2 months i.e w.e.f 1.1.2009,and Rs200 cr. Of tax payers money went down the drain without any control or reduction of rampant adulteration.

Real stakes were in RIL-RNRL case where Hon Mumbai High court ordered in favor of junior Ambani and upheld PSC(Product sharing contract)at the contracted price of Natural Gas $2.8mmscnd, elder Ambani approached the Apex court , suddenly Govt. Realized that natural Gas is a National Asset and not brothers property alone (Govt. did not know it for many years when case was in Mumbai High court) and became an intervener in the case .MOP&NG filed an affidavit in Apex court in july 2009 supporting elder Ambani’s claim. In the meantime Elections concluded and appropriately funded UPAII came into existence. Deora was quickly reinstalled as Petroleum Minister since it was a payback time for funds collected , coincidently the EGOM comprising of Deora, Shinde, Pranab also approved the price of Natural gas at $ 4.2 mmscnd, which was 150% of original price of $2.8mmscnd , such enhanced price was to benefit RIL , by Rs. 30000 cr. in next 5 years, for justification DGH ( Director General of Hydrocarbons)V.K.Sibbal’s approval for GOLD PLATING of Reliance’s capital expenditure from original estimate of Rs. 8000 cr enhanced to Rs. 44,000 cr was accepted .Sibbal was removed in Oct 2009 after enquiry into his daughter accepting white goods from Reliance officials (intercepted emails) and a Flat .There were heated allegations of serious irregularities by Junior Ambani against MOP&NG in 2009, published on the front page of Economic Times.

By an extended coincidence K.G.Balakrishnan the CJ of Apex court pronounced judgment in favor of elder Amabni and approved the price of $4.2 mmscnd within 5 days after order he was appointed as NHRC Chairman (cabinet Rank)w.e.f 11.5.2010 immediately after his superannuation
Last but not the least coincidence is that Deora has been removed as Petroleum Minister in Jan 2011and from the cabinet in july this year, for consolation his son made an insignificant Mos for retaining a roof in Delhi and to prevent his marginalization in Politics. Then Petroleum secy,Joint Secretaries have been shunted to non descript Ministries Sibbal facing CBI charge sheet in approving enhanced capex.CAG has filed a scathing report against misdeeds of Deora and his cronies in KG Basin case .K.G.Balakrishnan is facing enquiries of manipulation in Land deals by his kins and relatives, Reliance’s Natural Gas production has reduced to half then projected and its share price plummeted more the 25% till last month.