Bhubaneswar: Soon after the ground breaking ceremony for the Dhamra LNG Terminal, senior Congress leader Srikant Jena Saturday alleged that there was a big scam behind shifting of the project from Paradip and giving major stake to a private company. He also demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
“The LNG Terminal was originally slated to be set up at Paradip port, but the project site was shifted to Dhamra after the BJP-led NDA came to power at the Centre. There was a big scam behind the move,” the former Union Minister said.
There should be a CBI inquiry into the circumstances in which the LNG project was shifted and handed over to a corporate giant, and to ascertain who was instrumental in the whole episode, Jena said.
“I also demand a thorough audit of the matter by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),” the Congress leader said, adding the agreement for establishing the 5 MTPA capacity LNG Terminal at Dhamra should also be cancelled forthwith.
The former Union Minister said an MoU had been signed in August 2013 for setting up the LNG terminal at Paradip for which Paradip Port Trust (PPT) was to invest `650 crore and GAIL `2,480 crore.
The plan was to commission a 4.4 MMTPA capacity terminal in the first phase by 2017, he said.
However, after NDA came to power at the Centre, GAIL backed out and the project was shifted to Dhamra. As per the agreement, 49 per cent stake was given to Adani, 38 per cent to IOCL and 11 per cent to GAIL, while financial institutions would hold the remaining two per cent, Jena claimed and sought to know as to why no auction was done.
Jena also lashed out at the ruling BJD in Orissa for being silent over the issue and asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to explain as to why is not uttering a word.
IOCL and Paradip port would bear heavy losses while the private company would gain a lot, the Congress leader stated.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about transparency, he should clarify on the matter, and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should also make things clear to dispel doubts from people’s mind.
Neither Pradhan nor the senior officials of his ministry was available for comment on Jena’s allegations.
Meanwhile, BJP and ruling BJD indulged in political blame game over absence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the ground breaking ceremony. While BJP blamed the ruling party dubbing it ‘anti-youth’, BJD said Patnaik has not attended the event as it converted into a saffron party affair. Many BJP leaders have been invited to the event and the protocol was violated.
Press Trust of India