Gujarat-M'rashtra dispute over GAIL pipeline gets murkier

MAHARASHTRA'S POWER MUDDLE

Accusing the Maharashtra government of trying to cover up its failure by blaming the Gujarat government for Maharashtra's power crisis, state BJP president Nitin Gadkari, tried to shift the blame on Union Petroleum Minister Murali Deora for allegedly taking no steps to sort out the dispute between the Gujarat government and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

It may be recalled that Maharashtra's Energy Minister Dileep Walse Patil on Monday alleged in a press conference that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is creating obstacles in laying GAIL's pipeline between Dahej and Uran.

This is resulting in a delay in gas supply to the 2,100 Mw Dabhol power project getting delayed, which is crucial for power-starved Maharashtra which is facing a power shortage to the tune of 6,000 Mw.

He had even claimed that on his request, state BJP leaders like Gadkari and former deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde spoke to Modi, but the Gujarat government didn't give permission for the pipeline work.

Countering Walse-Patil's charges, Gadkari said, "Not a single Mw of generation capacity was added during the seven years of the Congress-NCP government and this has created the present power crisis. But, Walse-Patil is trying to create the picture that only Modi or the Gujarat government are responsible for the power crisis in Maharashtra."

There are some genuine concerns of the Gujarat government on the pipeline and for this the Gujarat government has been in touch with the Centre for the last four months but Deora is not finding it important enough to address it at once, he said.

Pointing out that Deora belongs to the Congress and Maharashtra who is in alliance with NCP at both the Centre and state, Gadkari suggested, "instead of blaming the Gujarat government or Modi, Walse-Patil should pressure Deora to intervene in the issue and sort it out."

Replying to a question, Gadkari said, "GAIL is selling gas to the Dabhol project at a much higher price than what is prevalent in Gujarat and the Gujarat government is concerned that this may lead to an escalation in the price of gas in the state which will affect the local industry. Besides, the Gujarat government is not happy over royalty offered to them by GAIL on the gas produced at Dahej".

Even after a meeting between the Gujarat government, the Centre and GAIL if the issue could not be resolved, then Modi has shown the willingness to accept Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and leader of opposition L K Advani as an arbitrator on the issue and I have told this to Walse-Patil.

But, the state government should make the first efforts to initiate the meeting between the Centre, Gujarat and GAIL and should not try to intervene in a dispute where Maharashtra has no locus standi and make the issue more complex, Gadkari advised.

If the dispute is not resolved even at Advani's and Pawar's level then we will firmly back the state government in its efforts to get the gas to Maharashtra against the Gujarat government's adamant stand, Gadkari said while answering to query.