Ministerial panel meets on DPC case

An inter-ministerial group today met to discuss ways of putting up the best legal defence against Dabhol Power Project's foreign promoters GE and Bechtel, which have filed claims worth $6 billion as investment losses.

The group consulted solicitors apart from taking the views of the domestic promoter Maharashtra State Electricity Board, as part of the efforts to put up a defence against the foreign promoters at a London arbitration court.

The meeting was attended by joint secretaries in the finance, power and law ministries.

India has sought 60 more days from the arbitration tribunal in London to respond to the claim. Certain complications, ahead of the September 30 deadline for filing the affidavit by India before the tribunal, had developed as its British solicitor firm Evershed withdrew from the case saying it had earlier represented GE in another case.