PM to review gas allocation cut to Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi, Aug 7 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will review the Centre's decision to cut down gas allocation to Andhra Pradesh, here on Tuesday.

The move to slash the quota was taken on the recommendation of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Earlier on Monday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy met the Prime Minister, Power Minister Veerappa Moily and Defence Minister A.K. Antony, and requested them to address the issue of the cancellation of two million metric standard cubic meters (MMSCMD) gas per day, which the state is supposed to get.

"We requested the Prime Minister and the Minister for Power, Minister for Defence who is the chairman of the EGoM to restore whatever is due to us," Reddy had told reporters after meeting the Prime Minister on Monday.

"Prime Minister had a very patient hearing and said he will review the decision tomorrow and get back," he added.

On August 1, the Centre had issued an order that two million metric standard cubic meters per day (MMSCMD) of gas be diverted from the Krishna-Godavari basin to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

"We are supposed to get 9.13 mmscmd. But what we are getting today is 3.48 MMSCMD. They have removed 2 from this 3.48 mmscmd," Reddy said.

Already starved of gas for its power plants that have been working with a load factor of only 30 percent, Andhra Pradesh would now get only 1.48 MMSCMD of gas from Reliance's D6 wells. (ANI)