ONGC Tripura hits out at 'vindictive' DGH order
"Vindictive" is the word used by ONGC's Tripura workers union general secretary Tusar Majumdar to describe the government's move to set up a super-committee to micro-manage ONGC and Oil India.
Combative Majumdar wrote to oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 7 to vehemently protest a DGH order sent on May 25 announcing a committee to review ONGC and Oil India progress at nominated fields. "Time and again we feel the central government is being vindictive towards our organisation," writes Majumdar in a letter, seen by this report.
"The DGH has issued this order to snatch our nominated blocks." Majumdar argues these blocks still produce around 70% of domestic output and that the DGH's attempt to "snatch" them from ONGC is a thinly-veiled strategy to hand them to private operators through auctions. "This order of DGH clearly indicates that our government is inclined towards private operators (sic)," he writes.
Majumdar laments that private operators are gleefully looking forward to getting their hands on the Geleki field in Assam, the Cambay field, and the Bassein and Satellite fields. He stresses that the May 25 DGH order will let "some bureaucrat" dominate management at state-owned oil companies.
He is also critical of the government's decision to force ONGC to take GSPC's 80% at the offshore KG-OSN-2001/3 block, ultimately "weakening" ONGC. Copies of Majumdar's letter were marked to ONGC chairman DK Sarraf and other Board directors.
