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New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today directed the government to make its position clear by this evening on the Samajwadi Party's contention that Petroleum Ministry was deliberately delaying the fixing of gas rates, resulting in inordinate delay in the commissioning of a power station in Uttar Pradesh.

The direction came after SP members trooped into the well of the House as soon as it assembled in the morning, charging the Petroleum Ministry with sitting on a file for one year pertaining to the fixing of a rate of the gas to be supplied to the Reliance's Dadri power plant and an NTPC power unit in UP.

The slogan-shouting SP members agreed to resume their seats when the Speaker allowed their colleague Mohan Singh to raise the issue in the House.

Mr Singh said even after the settlement between two Reliance brothers had arrived over the supply of gas to the Dadri plant, being promoted by Mr Anil Ambani at old rates, the Ministry had not been allowing the settlement on the issue.

On Mr Singh's contention, the Speaker asked the government to make a statement on issue by evening.

UNI JSS PK ND1322