(a) the updated status of the proposed Petroleum and Natural Gas Safety Industry Board;
(b) whether the Ministry has invited/received views/representations from all stakeholders in this regard, if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon; and
(c) the time by which the proposed Board is likely to start functioning?
MINISTER OF PETROELUM & NATURAL GAS
(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)
(a) to (c): Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) brought a proposal to constitute a Petroleum & Natural Gas Industry Safety Board (PNGISB) before Committee of Secretaries (CoS). After due deliberations with all stakeholders, CoS at the meeting held on 19.08.2016, recommended, inter-alia, that strengthening existing regulatory agencies/bodies may be preferred to creation of a new organization.
Thereafter, inter-ministerial meetings were held among the stakeholders, viz., Ministry of Labour & Employment (administering the Directorate General of Mines Safety, DGMS), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Dept for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (administering the Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization, PESO), apart from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, to arrive at convergence of views on the issue of having a single body to administer safety related aspects of the Petroleum Industry.
MoP&NG is strengthening the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) by removing overlaps between the ambit of OISD and the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), both of which are under its administrative control and no new Board is planned to be formed at present.
*************