May 24, 2018 | Popular Angst: From Nadigram To Ratnagiri: Even as this piece was being written the Tamil Nadu government’s police shot dead 11 people among the protesters against Sterilite’s copper plant at Tuticorin. The people were protesting against the very high level of pollution from the factory. The right to breathe unpolluted air is not among the fundamental rights in our constitution, but it guarantees the right to property. This right was sought to be undermined by the West Bengal’s CPI-M government, triggering an agitation at Nadigram village in 2007 which ultimately catapulted Mamata Banerjee to power. The Nandigram syndrome has been spreading. It has stalled the mega refinery proposed at Ratnagiri, an ecologically sensitive region in Maharashtra. The project is prestigious for the BJP governments at the centre and the state. It is in this refinery project that Saudi Aramco has agreed to pick up 50 per cent of the equity sake. The people refuse to be tantalized by offers of job opportunities. Click Free Access column Petro Intelligence which traces the rising consciousness among the rural masses about their right not to part with their land and the right to breathe unpolluted air.

The rising crude price is posing a fresh headache in the form of balance of payment. Donald Trump’s move against Iran will adversely affect India which has been sourcing Iran’s cheap sour crude for its refineries. The modified biofuels policy fails to address basic issues. These are among the five subjects discussed in column Policy.

The domestic demand for jet fuel is rising, the government has high hopes about the forthcoming second round of bidding for the discovered small oil and gas fields. ONGC is slowing down its exploration for shale at home but is not averse to acquiring shale assets overseas. Shell is exiting PMT fields on the west coast but fields are expected to be given to small players to extract the maximum from the balance recoverable reserves. Click column Regulation to read these exclusive reports

May 23, 2018: Domestic gas scene in April 2018 looked slightly better with ONGC producing more than the target. However, production by Oil India and private parties was marginally below the target. India imported more LNG and the net availability was higher than the level in April 2017. Click column Gas Scene for details.