BJD member Tathagata Satpathy accuses government of favouring mega corporates

NEW DELHI: Accusing government of favouring mega corporates, a BJD member in the Lok Sabha today alleged that an "agent" of Adani Group has been placed in the Paradip Port Trust.

Tathagata Satpathy, while participating in the discussion on the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, also demanded that the dispute between RIL and ONGC on the issue of KG gas migration should be brought under the proposed new law that provides for speedy disposal.

He alleged that big corporate houses in India have become richer by "looting" country's natural resources.

"Such bills show government's eagerness for ensuring ease of doing multi billion dollar business," he said.

While targeting the corporates and the government, he alleged, "They have placed an Adani agent in Paradip Port Trust... They are in the process of destroying Paradip Port Trust".

Drawing attention of the House to the RIL's KG-D6 and neighbouring KG-D5 block of ONGC in the Krishna Godavari basin, he said the blocks were awarded in 1999. "Both took 10 years to start work," Satpathy claimed.

ONGC, he said, in July 2013 claimed "RIL had siphoned off Rs 11,000 crore (worth of) gas from its block.... RIL did not even bother to reply to the ONGC letter."

After the issue went to Delhi High Court last year, an independent US consultant D&M was appointed to look into the issue. D&M in its final report on November 30 established that over 11 billion cubic meters of gas from ONGC's blocks had indeed flowed to adjoining KG-D6 block of RIL.

He said that the ONGC-RIL dispute was of national interest, and RIL is already fighting three arbitration cases over its KG-D6 gas production.

"Our mega corporates have not become mega by investing something... They are not like Microsoft... They have become rich by looting natural resources, our mines, oil, land," he said.

Satpathy demanded that the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, be made applicable retrospectively so that ONGC-RIL dispute can fall under it.

"Why cannot the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, be made retrospective. Let the ONGC-RIL case fall under its purview." he said.

The BJD MP also alleged that "we do not have the teeth" to implement an order on huge Income Tax claims against telecom giant Vodafone.

"It (notice) was sent following a law. This very House passed that law. Unfortunately Vodafone has not bothered to appeal.... We do not have teeth to implement own orders," he said.

Vodafone is facing a Rs 20,000 crore tax plus penalty over it acquiring stake of Hutchison after the government brought in a legislation to tax such deals retrospectively. It was not clear if he was referring to this dispute.