Musical chairs in PetroMin isn't new

CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta has written to Manmohan Singh on issue of reallocation of work portfolio within ministry

Since M Veerappa Moily assumed charge at the petroleum ministry, his decisions, especially those on Reliance Industries, have been closely followed by whistle-blowers.

Recently, Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the reallocation of work within the ministry, following secretary Vivek Rae and joint secretary Giridhar Aramane proposing the order of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on a gas price rise be kept on hold. Despite Dasgupta blowing the whistle, Moily has fine-tuned the work allocation, and a final order on the matter was issued by an under-secretary on Wednesday.

Now, Aramane wouldn’t be handling gas pricing, coal bed methane and shale gas and gas hydrates, though he would continue to look after exploration and production. Traditionally, the charge of gas pricing has been held by the joint secretary, exploration and production. This is because gas pricing is governed by the production-sharing contracts signed between the government and operators of oil and gas blocks. The pricing of gas produced from nominated blocks under the administered price regime was under the gas division.

Though Moily’s order says the move is aimed at greater synergy, Dasgupta, in his letter to the prime minister, has likened the move to the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal, a sub-divisional commissioner in Noida, by the government in Uttar Pradesh.

Moily’s predecessor, Jaipal Reddy, had carried out his own share of changes. He had S Sundareshan, then secretary in the ministry, moved to the heavy industries ministry. Reddy was understood to have told the Prime Minister’s Office he wasn’t comfortable with Sundareshan. Apurva Chandra, joint secretary (natural gas and marketing), was summarily asked to move out; he had to be accommodated in the human resource development ministry.

Shifting officials due to controversies has always made headlines, especially at the local and state levels. But often, such changes within the central government go unnoticed. With corruption charges flying high, bureaucrats are increasingly standing up to ministers.