RIL began drilling at KG sans green nod
NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) had started oil and gas exploration in the controversial Krishna Godavari basin (KG Basin) without obtaining mandatory environment clearance (EC), according to crucial documents in HT’s possession. Despite knowing this, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) gave them post facto clearance.
The clearances were given by the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 2002. RIL and MoEF did not respond to detailed queries sent by HT despite several reminders.
A year later, RIL proposed to change the number of wells to be drilled in each of the five blocks and even this was accepted by the ministry. As per the environment clearance issued to them, “a fresh reference should have been made to the ministry to assess the adequacy of conditions imposed and to add additional environmental protection measures required, if any.” Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has been raising uncomfortable questions regarding the favouritism shown to RIL on the issue of gas pricing. Post facto environmental clearances are a second case in point.
According to the letter in HT’s possession, GV Subrahmanyam, the then director, MoEF wrote to group vice president, RIL, on October 28, 2002, giving post facto environmental clearance. The letter says, “…MoEF has carefully examined your application. It is noted that it is envisaged to carry out exploratory/ appraisal drilling of 28 wells in the five blocks of the coast of Andhra Pradesh viz KG-0SN-97/3 (KG-19), KG-05N-97/2 (KG-20), KG-OSN97/4 (KG-18), KG-DWN-98/1 (KGD4) and KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6).”
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