ONGC turns down Aiyar proposals

Taking a cue from his predecessor Ram Naik, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had suggested that ONGC change the name of the Cauvery Bas...

Taking a cue from his predecessor Ram Naik, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had suggested that ONGC change the name of the Cauvery Basin to ‘Coromandel Coast’ and the Karaikal Asset to the ‘Cauvery Delta Asset’.

But now, Aiyar is upset as ONGC has agreed to rename the asset, but is reluctant to budge on Cauvery Basin. The minister has made it clear that he is ‘‘not prepared to be involved in the change of nomenclature’’ in the case of the Karaikal Asset and wants to know why ONGC is ‘‘unwilling to rename the hopelessly misnamed Cauvery Basin’’.

Aiyar has reasoned that since the Cauvery Basin stretched from the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border to the southern tip of the peninsula at Ramanathanpuram, the correct nomenclature for the ONGC operation should be ‘Coromandel Coast’. He suggested the Karaikal Asset be rechristened since the most significant finds (oil at Nagapattinam and gas at the PY-3 field and Kuttalam) were in the Cauvery Delta.

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Another sticky point was that he wanted ONGC to shift its headquarters to Mayiladuturai —— his parliamentary constituency —— and build a new housing colony since there as it had schools, drinking water and plenty of rentable accommodation. ‘‘I was given to understand that many of the employees were from Mayiladuturai region,’’ he noted.

In contrast, it was pointed out, the housing facilities at Karaikal had remained substantially unoccupied because it was plagued with a drinking water problem and was 12 km from the asset’s office. ‘‘Building a separate ONGC colony within walking distance of ‘Cauvery Delta Asset’ office would be entirely feasible. Mayiladuturai is within 4-5 km of Kuttalam,’’ Aiyar had argued.

Though ONGC agreed to the renaming of the asset, it declined to shift the head office, saying it had made significant investments in the township, office and related facilities at Karaikal.

Aiyar now wants a full justification of ONGC’s need to remain where they are when the bulk of its activity is in Narimanam and Kuttalam. He has made it clear he does not want to be a part of the renaming ceremony of the Karaikal Asset. He has also asked for ONGC’s clarification on its stand by mid-February, before he sets off for Kazakhstan.