CAG reports on K-G basin under PAC review: Ministry tells HC

The Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas today informed the Bombay High Court that the CAG reports pertaining to the scrutiny of records of operators exploring the Krishna Godavari basin, was under consideration with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
"The CAG reports for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 have not been disposed of as they are under the active consideration of the PAC. Once the PAC submits its recommendations, action would be taken on that basis by the government," the Union Ministry said in an affidavit today.
The affidavit was filed in reply to a contempt petition filed against the union ministry for allegedly failing to comply with an order passed by the high court in January 2012 directing it to dispose of the CAG reports by December 2012.

According to the contempt petition filed by advocate Shrikant Padhi in February 2013, the union ministry had failed to comply with this order and had not disposed of the CAG reports.
"The CAG reports were referred to the PAC by the Parliament. The PAC has raised several queries from time to time and has recorded oral evidences of the ministry officials and of operator Reliance Industries Ltd. The CAG reports are under active consideration of the PAC. Action would be taken once the PAC submits its recommendations," the affidavit filed by Vivek Rae, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said.

In January 2012, the high court had asked the ministry to consider and dispose of the CAG reports while hearing a PIL filed by Padhi alleging that Reliance Industries did not follow the formula of sharing of profit and was siphoning away the profit without sharing it with the government.
The high court had then refused to entertain the petition and said it was too premature, but asked the ministry to consider the CAG reports.
A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Girish Kulkarni today posted the contempt petition for hearing after four weeks.