(1) While submitting reports under clause
(vii) of sub-rule (1) of rule 18, the licensee may specify that the whole or any part of the report or data • submitted by him shall be kept confidential, and the concerned authorities shall thereupon, keep the specified portions as confidential if the licensee has applied for a production lease over the whole or part of the area covered under an exploration licence.
112 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC: 3(i)]
(2) The administering authority shall be at liberty to disclose the exploration data to any prospective investor if the licensee fails to apply for a production lease after six months of the expiry of the exploration licence or* if an application for production lease preferred by the licensee is rejected.