(Phone rings)
Niira Radia: Paddy, hi. Padmanabhan: Hi, good evening.
Niira Radia: Good evening, Paddy. Paddy, I had a word again with RIL yesterday based on what happened. Their view is that this government is saying that there is excess gas right now. Why should you still not write in and say that given that you are saying that there is excess gas, why can't we still have gas?
Niira Radia: Forget about what Shinde's saying, but the fact that there is excess gas available he should actually give it to us because we do believe that we can run unit six and unit four.. with.. efficiently with the availability of 1 MMSCD and 2.5 respectively.
Padmanabhan: Yes I agree with that. It is absolutely right. That is what we are writing to the government. If you have seen all the letters. We have been.. there is some 8 or 10 such communications that have gone to the government.
Niira Radia: I saw that, yeah. He is saying send another letter. He is meeting Prasad... er... this one... Shinde. And he is also going to have a word with Murli as well as I think they are going to meet the PMO.
Niira Radia: Because their view is that this is nonsense and that Tata Power who could do with this gas and who can.. and you know right now you have got no capacity of 150 megawatts in Bombay when you could do it. You desperately need it.
Niira Radia: He doesn't see why this should not be allocated straightaway. So they're gonna use their pressure and they're gonna push for it immediately. So what he is saying is that it's worth sending another letter saying that you know, you've got excess power, excess gas, so please make sure we get it.
Niira Radia: And it is for us to demonstrate that we can operate these two units efficiently. Padmanabhan: In fact I can write that letter which we have seen.. the recent one which we sent was as late as a week back.
Padmanabhan: We can write a letter to the Ministry of Power to .. in fact yesterday also we met with Bakshi in Central Electricity Authority. And who said that yes 1 MMCMB we will definitely get for you. But we are pushing for one more. That was what Bakshi said. Niira: Correct, yeah.
Padmanabhan: All that is fine. How do I link it to this case? If I just have to write a letter, I will definitely write a letter. Niira Radia: No, I think you can say that you are also concerned that there is a High Court judgment.
Niira Radia: That gives allocation to a company on two counts- one that there is disparity of pricing where there 4.2 versus 2.34 and also gives it allocation of 28 MMSCD. We are concerned because we have an existing power plant.
Niira Radia: And we would request that our gas atleast be given to us ASAP. You can bring that paragraph in and say we are concerned with this. No harm.
Padmanabhan: I am just playing the Devil's advocate to make sure that we get this concept clear. On the volume, yes. At best, Tata Power can write that you know the... etc. and we get to understand that there is a judgment. And you would be considered for the allocation.
Padmanabhan: I would not be able to bring in the price.. the price that (?) gas has allocated to us is at 4.2. It will be too much of excess to bring up the price aspect.
Niira Radia: No that's fine, I think as long as you focus on allocation I think price is by the by really. So allocation is so critical right now. I think you're right actually. Maybe you could just go with allocation and that's perfectly fine.
Padmanabhan: Yes because see, we are also...if you look at the set of correspondents other than this, we have been pushing GAIL to give us gas. What is our primary requirement? Without the case is to ensure that we get a lower cost fuel compared to oil that we are importing right now..
Padmanabhan: So we are pushing hard for gas so that end consumer tariff may be low. Niira Radia: Absoutely. I said that's what you should mention.
Niira Radia: You can say that you are paying considerably more, right now, right? Padmanabhan: Yes of course. Oil, if its...
Niira Radia: You said you can't mention what price but you could mention that you are paying considerably more right now... from the government determined price of 4.2.
Niira Radia: I think you should then - oh God, my computer has just gone crazy. Sorry that was my computer, suddenly made that sound...nahin (no), you could say that you are paying considerably more than what the government determined price of 4.2 is and as a result of this we would only get better benefit to the consumer.
Niira Radia: That will be great. I'm putting out the GVK letter tomorrow in the media.. should be front page Economic Times tomorrow. In that there will be a mention that even Tata Power has applied for 1 and 2.5.. and that's all...but then our story of the shortage of power in Mumbai and all that.. that's gonna come next week in a big way.
Padmanabhan: Okay.. and so the new letter that goes.. it will have one line reference to the High Court attachment.. other than that everything else has been said in the various letters.. you just go through all those letters. Everything else has been said, it's just that there'll be a reference to the High Court judgment.
Niira Radia: I think you'll say that.. this is it and you have concerned with allocation and you'd also say that.. the government determined price of 4.2 if you are given gas and that will only benefit the consumer.
Niira Radia: And allocation is a concern given that this High Court judgment is there and we're a little concerned with it... as we have an existing power plant. I'm sorry, I'm not wording it very well Paddy, but I'm just thinking aloud while I'm talking to you.
Padmanabhan: No I generally get the hang of what you are saying.. give me one evening to... post dinner I will think. (laughs) Niira Radia: Okay no problem.. perfectly fine.. just give me a call if there's anything I need to clarify. Then these people will push for you to ensure that you get your 3.5.
Niira Radia: Because you have asked for 2.5 and 1, isn't it? Padmanabhan: To GAIL I've asked for 1. Yes. Niira Radia: So they're saying they'll give you 1 and 2.5.
Padmanabhan: Yesterday you wanted to know if there's any department to letter... to us specifically, there is no letter to us but there is one notification which I will forward it to you today, or early tomorrow morning.
Niira Radia: Paddy can you fax it to me.. would that be easier? Padmanabhan: I will email it to you, you know.. that would be faster.
Niira Radia: And also this Shinde's letter that went to the Minister in Maharasthra, that letter actually, by the time Vikas sent to me it wasn't clear. Is it possible to put that on a scanned copy as well so that I can get a better copy?
Padmanabhan: I will see if I can email you the original version. What came from Mantralaya was itself in a very bad shape.. Niira Radia: Oh okay. I think by the time it was faxed to me, it had about half of it missing. Padmanabhan: Okay, okay.
Padmanabhan: Okay.. I will email you that one. And also... (ends abruptly)