People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)


Vol. XXXI

No. 28

July 15, 2007

Stop The Manipulation Of Gas Prices

 

Tapan Sen, MP and secretary of CITU has sent a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, prime minister on July 4, 2007 regarding the urgent intervention to stop the ongoing manipulation of gas prices by private gas producer and also a thorough probe on artificially inflating the capital expenditure in its New Field Development Plan (NFDP) for exploration of gas at D6 KG Basin by RIL-NIKO combine which is at the root of present manoeuvring of gas pricing.

 

The queries and charges he raised included

 

 

The act of artificial jacking up of capital expenditure in D6 KG Basin by RIL-NIKO combine which is having direct bearing on the gas pricing of more than 4.5 dollar per mmbtu is being sought to be pushed to backburner. With such gas pricing, gas may not remain preferred feedstock for power and fertiliser sector.

 

Tapan Sen urged that the issue requires to be addressed at the root itself and visible act of artificial jacking up the capital cost by RIL-NIKO, should not be allowed to go unnoticed and uncorrected and needs urgent intervention to stop ongoing manipulation of gas prices by private gas producer and benchmark the administrative gas price for power and fertiliser sector. INN