The Hindu : Decision on petrol pumps in public interest: Ram Naik

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 17, 2002

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Decision on petrol pumps in public interest: Ram Naik

By Kanwar Yogendra

SHIMLA AUG.16. Contrary to the decision of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to cancel all the licenses to petrol pumps and gas agencies issued after 2000, the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Ram Naik, has suggested that oil companies be directed to transfer all the controversial agencies to the respective State Civil Supplies Corporations, so that the consumer need not suffer anywhere.

He said the Government had requested the Supreme Court to take a quick and collective decision for which the hearing has been fixed for August 26.

It will be a temporary decision with the interim management.

On the issue that some genuine cases such as defence and handicapped quota had also suffered, Mr. Naik said the Prime Minister had taken the decision in the larger public interest and after proper consultations.

It was not taken in haste, he said.

He said the process adopted by his Government was better and more transparent than that of the earlier Governments. Giving the examples of Himachal Pradesh, where the Chief Minister's son and his nephew and a number of other relations of the BJP activists have been obliged, he said the board constituted by the Congress Government had a retired judge and two Congress leaders as members, whereas in the recent board, it was a retired judge and two officials of oil companies.

Massive reforms were being taken up in the petroleum sector and from the marketing angle the prices would be linked with the international market. He announced that prices of petroleum products had decreased recently and now the oil companies would stabilise the prices now in the fluctuating international market.

India was importing 70 per cent crude oil and had spent Rs. 68,000 crores in foreign exchange last year. But it became self-sufficient in refining capacity and now did not import petrol and diesel.

India had given 47 blocks for exploration of crude oil under the new exploration licensing policy.

Earlier, at a public function Mr. Naik launched the 5 kg. Indane cylinder and presented the first cylinder to the Chief Minister, P.K. Dhumal. It is simultaneously launched in 42 districts of 12 States.

The concept of 5 kg cylinders was developed by the Ministry to reach LPG to hilly, rural and semi-urban areas.

The NDA Government, in four yeas, had provided 3.13 crore gas connections, whereas the earlier Government in 40 years had provided only 3.37 crore gas connections.

Only 30 per cent Indian families were using LPG connections, whereas in Himachal Pradesh 74 per cent of population was covered under the LPG use.

He suggested that the Himachal Government start a ``deepam scheme'' on the pattern of Andhra Pradesh, in which the Government helped buy the first cylinder of the new connection to the below-poverty-line families.

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