The Cabinet Committee on Divestment failed to take any decision on the divestment of public sector oil companies -- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation -- as the divestment ministry could not obtain the opinion of Attorney General Soli Sorabjee on the issue.

The CCD, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was to discuss the quantum and modalities of divestment in the two oil corporations after obtaining the AG's view on the legality of sale of equity in the companies acquired and nationalised by the government by the Acts of Parliament.

Shourie said the AG's opinion was needed on whether the government should go back to Parliament for clearance on divestment in the two oil corporations, which were acquired by the government in 1970s.

"No other aspects of HPCL and BPCL were discussed," he said adding the process would start only after the AG's opinion but no time frame was given by the Attorney General.

The CCD also decided to allow IFFCO and KRIBHCO, in which the government has majority stake, to bid for all the fertiliser units like Madras Fertiliser, National Fertilisers and Fertilisers and Chemical Travancore, which the government had decided to divest.

"We will seek fresh bids in the three fertiliser PSUs," he said adding that in the case of NFL it was also necessitated due to the announcement of the new Fertiliser Policy.

Besides, NFL also received a long outstanding loan from Madras Fertilisers of Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million), Shourie said adding these two issues were not part of the bidding documents till now.

Shourie also said that the issue of Centaur Hotel divested earlier this year to Batra Hospitalities has also landed with the AG.

Batra Hospitalities had resold the property to Sahara Group reportedly at a much higher price.