Earlier Allottees To Be Named On Website

Petroleum minister Ram Naik has ordered putting on the website of the ministry the names of those who had been allotted petrol pumps, LPG agencies and kerosene depots between 1983 and 2000.

Official sources say the idea is to detect the political links of these allottees, though the minister's order does not mention anything to this effect.

Over 24,000 allotments were made during this period. Moreover, the names of the members of the dealer selection boards, formerly known as oil selection boards, which were operational during this period, will also be put on the website.

Sources say this may take the sting out of the Opposition criticism of the constitution of the dealer selection boards, since the earlier boards were packed with members of the ruling parties.

Moreover, all the petroleum ministers preceding Ram Naik had their discretionary quotas for the allotment of petrol pumps and LPG agencies.

The minister's action followed a demand made by 110 members of Parliament for an inquiry into the allotments made since 1983 when the system of dealer selection boards was introduced, sources said.

The petroleum ministry has asked state-owned oil companies to furnish period-wise details of the allotments made ever since the dealer selection boards were constituted.

The government today also began digging for dirt in allotments of petrol pumps and gas agencies done by non-BJP governments between 1983 and 2000 to apparently see if there had been political favours in giving licences.

"The government has sought a review of all the allotments made during this period," petroleum minister Ram Naik told reporters in Mumbai without elaborating.

The inquiry, launched on demand made by 110 ruling NDA MPs after allegations of favouritism surfaced in allotments made during the Bhartiya Janata Party rule, he said, would be completed within 45 days.

Naik, however, did not say if the government intends to cancel allotments found to be done on grounds other than merit as has been done by the Prime Minister after allegations of favouritism were levied on award of dealerships for petrol pumps, gas agencies and kerosene dealerships since 2000.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and IBP have been asked to provide list of beneficiaries during the Congress-rule from 1983 to 1989 under one block, followed by those made between December 2, 1989 and March 13, 1991 when V P Singh and Chandrashekhar were prime ministers.

Allotments made under the P V Narasimha Rao government between 1991 and 1996 will be clubbed in one list, while allotments made during 1996-97 would be listed separately, followed by those made during 1998-99, they said.

"We want to clean the system completely after the bold decision of the Prime Minister. Review of all previous allotments would help establish faith in the system," they said adding oil companies have started collecting information of over 18,000 petrol pump and 7,000 gas agency allottees and the process by which they were selected.