ONGC gas dispute...RIL also part of Shah panel

“I have been given to understand that RIL would be participating in the panel,” ONGC Chairman & MD Dinesh K Sarraf told reporters on Thursday.

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has agreed to participate in the AP Shah panel probing the allegation of theft of gas from the public sector company ONGC’s Krishna Godavari fields, reports a financial newspaper.

“I have been given to understand that RIL would be participating in the panel,” ONGC Chairman & MD Dinesh K Sarraf told reporters on Thursday.

Two rounds of meetings have already been held by the Shah panel. 

In the first round, RIL had expressed a desire to stay away from the panel. However, in the second meeting held this week, RIL has said that it will participate in the panel’s proceedings, reports the paper.

Shah, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed by the Union Petroleum Ministry to study the report of US-based consultant DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&M).

D&M has said that 11.122 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas had migrated from ONGC’s fields to the adjoining KG D6 block - KG-DWN-98/3 - operated by RIL, along with partners BP and Niko Resources.

Earlier, RIL and Niko Resources had questioned the jurisdiction of the Shah panel and instead wanted the dispute to be resolved by arbitration.