Declaring that he doesn’t fear a business giant like Reliance, actor-politician Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday promised that if he comes to power, he will conduct an inquiry into the alleged exploitation of oil resources in the Krishna Godavari basin by Reliance Industries Ltd.
Addressing the media in Amalapuram on Wednesday, Pawan said that a report by the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed foul play by Reliance industries Ltd in KG basin. However, despite this revelation Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Opposition party leader Jaganmohan Reddy and Nara Lokesh did not question RIL, alleged Pawan. “Either they fear Reliance, ONGC, Gujarat Petroleum Corporation or have to be part of the scam,” he alleged.
Pawan Kalyan’s speech taking on RIL, however comes two months after the company shut down its only oil field in the Krishna Godavari-D6 block. RIL which had made 19 oil and gas discoveries in the Krishna Godavari basin had first begun production in September 2008 and shut it down exactly a decade later declaring that production had declined to nil. The company had closed down all its fields in the last decade claiming high water production and sand ingress.
In 2015, a CAG report had found irregularities in payments made to contractors on drilling of wells in the D6 field.
In 2017, the oil ministry raised a compensation claim with RIL and had consulted legal experts on whether the government should take the legal route to recover $1.55 billion compensation demanded from RIL.
Though at various points of times, there have been reports that the CBI will file cases against RIL, not much happened after.
Pawan Kalyan said that several politicians are quiet about a giant company such as Reliance, which “controls” the government. “However, the Jana Sena Party doesn’t fear them,” he said.
Daring Mukesh Ambani, he said, “It might be Mukesh Ambani or whoever, I will fight on behalf of the people."
Pawan added, “The companies which are unabashedly exploiting the resources in the East Godavari region are not even providing relief to the victims under Corporate Social Responsibility schemes."
He promised that If Jana Sena Party came to power, they would solve the problems of people in East Godavari and provide them with employment opportunities and protect their natural resources from being exploited.
Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that the Prime Minister who has responsibility to stop this exploitation hasn’t responded.
Pawan said that as both the Centre and State failed to question RIL, he would fight against them.
He claimed that when he was supposed to visit the victims of Nagaram in East Godavari who died in a gas pipeline explosion, he was denied permission by the DGP because of security reasons.
Fourteen people were burnt alive and several were severely injured in the blast in 2014.