DGH to take "appropriate remedial action" against RIL if found violating PSC

13 Jul 2011 Evaluate

The regulator for oil explorers, the Director General of Hydrocarbon (DGH) in its report to the oil ministry, has assured that it will take “appropriate remedial action” against Reliance Industries (RIL) if company found to have incurred excess cost and violating the provisions of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC). However, the DGH defended its action for giving permission to the company to revise the development cost for KG D-6 block.

The DGH report said, 'Audit exceptions on procedural issues have been forwarded to operator for reply/compliance. If any unjustified cost incurred violating PSC provisions is specifically quantified by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in the final report, which in the opinion of CAG should be disallowed as contract cost, the audit findings will be considered for appropriate remedial action.' However, the DGH report would be only input to the petroleum ministry, and can be choose to overlook it.

In the draft report, CAG had observed that the ministry and DGH had overlooked lapses on part if three private players, RIL Crain India and BG-led Consortium. CAG has noted that the ministry and DGH allowed an increase in capital expenditure without proper justification and by additional exploration are in violation of production sharing contracts.    

DGH in its report to the government, had asked, government to clarify that it had not done anything that was against the provisions of PSC. Defending its action in giving permission to RIL and Cairn India to retain exploration acreage, DGH said, 'No exploration activity carried out beyond PSC provisions or government approval have been reviewed by management committee. Further, no exploration work programme and budget after the expiry of the exploration period proposed by the operator was agreed by the management committee. Therefore there was no method for backdoor exploration.'

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