Former Director-General of Hydrocarbons VK Sibal under CVC scanner

NEW DELHI: India's anti-corruption watchdog is investigating alleged irregularities in the management of oil and gas assets by the oil ministry's technical arm after the country's top auditor said some energy firms had violated terms.


The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked the oil ministry to pinpoint specific references of lapses in managing oil and gas blocks by the then director-general of hydrocarbons VK Sibal and other officials mentioned in the auditor's report.


Earlier this month, the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) said contractual terms were violated by operators such as Reliance Industries, Cairn India and a BG-led consortium operated in their blocks.


Three persons with knowledge of the matter said the CVC has "expeditiously" asked for a copy of the report. Although the CAG report is available on its website, the CVC wants the oil ministry's comments on it.


Spokespersons at the oil ministry and the CVC did not respond to ET's email query. An SMS query sent to Sibal did not elicit a response.


In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against the oil ministry's technical arm, the directorate general of hydrocarbons ( DGH), and five of his colleagues for extending undue favours to American oil exploration company GX Technology for conducting seismic surveys in some part of India's sedimentary basin.


According to officials, the CVC has made five specific references, of which the first and last relate to complaints against Sibal. The second relates to former Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh's complaint regarding approval of high gas prices from the KG-D6 block. The third reference relates to alleged irregularities in seismic surveys commissioned by DGH officials.