Price gas as per energy policy
The report ‘Come April, domestic gas will be cheaper’ (January 15) by Siddhartha P Saikia is not based on the data provided by the reporter. The basic issue is to determine the price gas which would encourage investment in deep water gas. The problem Pakistan is facing today on the energy front has few lessons for India. Pakistan ranks number one in the world in terms of the largest number of CNG vehicles but this ranking exposes the structural imbalances of its policy-making and execution, and huge imports are now necessary to keep the cycle going. India was never a natural-gas-surplus country to the extent that it decided to adopt an energy policy that made use of gas. The Dabhol power plant in Maharashtra is classic example. It was designed to operate on naphtha but as prices moved up, hope for feed stock of gas was pinned on exploration in the Krishna-Godavari basin, which, unfortunately, failed to live up to the projections. The Dabhol plant can operate on imported gas at $12 but the power companies do not want to pay that tariff. Consequently, plants like Dabhol remains a white elephant and we have academic discussion on working out fair gas price for deep-water gas.
MM Gurbaxani
Bangalore
Delhi polls no cakewalk for BJP
The BJP should not remain complacent with the victories in Jharkhand, Haryana and Maharashtra. The polls for the Delhi Assembly are going to be much tougher for the party than the other assembly elections have been. In addition to the presence of a strong opponent in AAP, the party will have to remain alert to the internal dissent, given there are many CM-aspirants within its rank and file. Those denied tickets will try to sabotage the chances of the official party nominees. From the experience of December 2013, the electorate has become more fastidious and selective. The saffron party will have to deploy all the strength at its command to ensure a majority on its own.
Vineet Phadtare, Mumbai