In a stinging attack on the Union Petroleum Ministry on a day the Union Minister of State for Petroleum (independent charge) Dharmendra Pradhan was in Dehradun, the media adviser of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat Surendra Kumar said on Friday that a Gujarat-based oil company —Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) — run by the Gujarat Government had received a huge loan of around Rs 20, 000 crore from the Centre which, on its part, had passed the burden to the ONGC to bear. Such acts of blatant favouritism are what is making ONGC incur enormous losses, the CM’s close aide said. He further said that despite ONGC having approved Rs 50 crore for the construction of Maharana Pratap Sports College to be set up in Raipur, the Centre is sitting on the release of the funds.
While interacting with the media persons, Kumar said that ONGC being headquartered in Dehradun has contributed a lot to the development of the State. “But now, it is being made to run on losses with the Centre burdening it more and more to bail out certain companies known to be close to those calling the shots in the Centre,” he said. Citing the CAG report, he said that GSPC, a company running on losses, had secured a loan of Rs 19, 716 crore from the Centre between 2011 and 2015. “As per technical and economic report, ONGC will have to bear the burden. The burden is worth a staggering Rs 30, 000 crores. Aware of its grim implications for the future of the company, several officers raised objections to the Centre shoving burden down its gullet, but to no avail” he said.
“We ask the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain why GSPC is running on losses despite his assurance that it would be of immense help to the farmers. He owes an answer to the nation,” Kumar said, asking the five Members of Parliament from the BJP to raise the issue to save ONGC from being wrecked by such vicious acts of the Centre.