Gas Leak Continues For 7 Days, Himanta Sarma Says ONGC Response "Inadequate"
Guwahati:
Gas continued to leak from an ONGC crude oil well in Assam for the seventh straight day, prompting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to write to the Centre flagging "inadequate" response by the oil and gas major.
In a letter to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri, Mr Sarma said locals claimed that there has been "inadequate urgency and seriousness in ONGC's response" while trying to contain the leak. "Conveyed our concerns regarding the Barichuk Gas Blowout incident to Hon'ble Union Minister Hardeep Puri. I have requested him to direct ONGC to step up well control efforts in mission mode so that the situation doesn't aggravate further," the CM said in a post on X.
The state government is providing necessary relief to the affected people at this hour, but a more proactive approach is needed from ONGC to mitigate this situation to restore normalcy, he added.
The prolonged nature of the incident is causing considerable distress in the surrounding villages, as already more than 330 families have been evacuated from their homes and are being supported by the state government with basic relief and safety measures, he added.
"I urge you to kindly direct ONGC to reinforce its technical and leadership presence on-site, adopt a more mission-mode approach, and step up engagement with the affected communities to restore confidence and bring the situation under control at the earliest," Mr Sarma told Mr Puri.
The blowout took place on June 12 at Well No RDS 147 of Rig No SKP 135 of Rudrasagar oil field of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at Barichuk of Bhatiapar. A private firm, SK Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the state-run Maharatna company. An official of ONGC had earlier said that it was an old crude well without production, and a perforation job was going on for zone transfer at the time of the blowout.
The Assam government on Tuesday announced a financial aid of Rs 25,000 each to about 350 families affected by the blowout.
According to the Assam Pollution Control Board (APCB), the air quality parameters are within the permissible limit as per the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQ) standards by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
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