A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed today before the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the Centre to probe the contract between Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) and power PSU NTPC for supply of gas.
The petitioner Arvind Gupta, a lawyer, has alleged that NTPC is "sluggish" in pursuing its case against RIL, which has failed to honour the contract of supplying gas at $2.34 million British thermal unit (mmBtu) to the public sector company's Kawas and Gandhar projects.
"NTPC, which has existing gas based power generation plants, has not been able to take any legal steps for immediate supply of gas to its plants at the tendered and agreed price. A huge loss running into several thousand crores is being incurred by the NTPC on account of failure to take appropriate legal steps," said the petition filed through advocate P N Ramalingam.
"The silence on the part of NTPC and Ministry of Power in the matter and inaction of the NTPC and its officials are wholly arbitrary, illegal, contrary and against public interest," Gupta, who claims to be a shareholder of the PSU, said in his petition.
"If RIL succeeds in its attempt to commit breach of its obligation to supply gas to NTPC at a price $2.34 mmBtu, NTPC would incur a loss of Rs 25,000 crore," he claimed.
He also pointed out that senior law officers of the government have advised the Centre to take immediate steps to safeguard the interest of the PSU.
