Were GAILs byproducts like pentane diverted into the adulteration market?
Not just GAIL and ONGC, all major oil PSUs played no mean part, more often knowingly, in abetting adulteration. There were several instances of oil companies setting aside ministry guidelines while releasing diesel or naphtha to processors, supplying large quantities of products to non-existent factories without the technical evaluation committee’s clearance. Oil PSUs were surely colluding in adulteration by callously selling petro-products like naphtha to operators without ensuring whether these units actually exist. Barring a C.R. Das Gupta or N.B. Prasad (ex-chairmen, IOC and ONGC) not a single oil sector CEO stood up to political and bureaucratic pressure. Did you urge the ministry to act against the use of super LDO as an adulterant? From 1998 to 2001, I wrote to the ministry about the activities of a major private player and submitted vigilance reports. We submitted invoices to the ministry that proved it was releasing products like super LDO, a diesel alternative, used for adult
