Plan panel, oil min in spat over petro watchdog Act
The Planning Commission is at loggerheads with the ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) over the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Act that is likely to be announced by the end of this month.
By Piyush Pandey, TNN |
MUMBAI: The Planning Commission is at loggerheads with the ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) over the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Act that is likely to be announced by the end of this month.
The petroleum ministry, after discussions with the industry representatives, had presented a ‘Policy for Natural Gas Pipelines & City or Local Gas Distribution Networks’ in Mumbai on Monday.
However, Planning Commission has pointed out several loopholes in the policy document and criticised the ministry for not making changes recommended by it.
The petroleum ministry said in a presentation that they have modified the clauses to state the need for regulation and to prevent circumvention of regulation. Similarly, the grant of authorisation in the earlier draft policy that provided for a categorisation of pipelines has been dropped to remove anomalies when read with clause 2 on applicability.
According to planning commission, the pipeline policy does not add much to the provisions contained in the PNGRB Act. As such, its purpose remains unclear and takes away the independence of the regulator.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Planning Commission alleged that the pipeline policy completely overlooks storage, which is an integral part of any transportation and distribution network and it also fails to clarify that how far upstream the pipelines are covered. The policy also does not specify the term of the permission or license granted for laying pipelines. When contacted Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told ET, “We have not formulated the final policy as yet. It is likely to be in place by this month end. So how can anybody criticise the draft policy. Yesterday, we held discussions with the industry head honchos to seek their view on the proposed policy and the ministry considers their views on the same.”
It is yet to be seen how many recommendations of the Planning Commission and other industry bodies are incorporated by the petroleum ministry in the final policy.
Start a SIP with as low as ₹500 with ET Money App!
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
