Centre's nod on gas issue allowed future windfall to RIL, alleges ACB

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The Delhi government's ACB has annexed documents in its five-page FIR to drive home its point that though in 2006.

New Delhi: The approval by Centre to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) allowing expenditure of 8.8 billion dollar to increase production of gas from KG basin paved the way for "future windfall" revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore($ 20 billion) to the Mukesh Ambani-led firm, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) alleged in its FIR.

The Delhi government's ACB has annexed documents in its five-page FIR to drive home its point that though in 2006, the Centre had not acceded to give such approval in the wake of objections raised by Parliamentarians, the same was ignored later.

The FIR on Reliance gas pricing issue, in which Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily, Ambani and others have been made accused, also annexed documents, including a complaint sent to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the basis of which the case was lodged. According to the complaint, in 2004 RIL had submitted a integrated development plan (IDP) saying they would produce 40 mm standard cubic meters per day for an investment of 2.39 billion dollar.

It also alleged that within two years, RIL had submitted another plan saying they would produce 80 mmscmd for an increased investment of 8.8 billion dollar. "It sounds preposterous that to double production, the investment has to be increased four times. Having put the initial infrastructure, it ought to have cost lesser to create additional production capacity."

The then Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar did not allow this and was therefore shunted out of the Ministry and Murli Deora was made the minister of PNG in January 2006. "Despite strong protests from MPs like Tapan Sen, the government approved $8.8 billion expenditure. By allowing this $8.8 billion expenditure, in effect, the government allowed a future windfall revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for RIL," the complaint said.

Besides Moily and RIL chairperson Ambani, former Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, ex-Director General of Hydrocarbons VK Sibal and other unknown persons have been named as accused in the case. The FIR was lodged under sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.