Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Areas near Baghjan impacted by blowout, confirms Centre

By SPl Correspondent - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

NEW DELHI, Sept 14 - The Centre on Monday confirmed that there has been impact on nearby areas because of the heat and noise generated from the Baghjan blowout well in Tinsukia district of Assam. In reply to a Lok Sabha question, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that approximately 3,000 affected families were evacuated to rehabilitation camps set up by the district administration.

Stating that there has been no casualty of local residents, Pradhan said Oil India Limited (OIL) has lost three employees. The district administration has constituted a committee for assessment of property loss for which OIL has to deposit the compensation amount to district administration for disbursal to the affected families, he said.

The minister said TERI has been engaged for ambient air quality monitoring and bioremediation, North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat has been engaged for seismological study and IIT Guwahati has been engaged for heat impact through thermal imaging.

The oil ministry has constituted a three-member committee to inquire into this incident. In addition, inquiry committees have also been set up by the Directorate General of Mines and Safety and Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD). Two OIL officers directly looking after the operations of the well before the blowout have been suspended, Pradhan said.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas regularly monitors and reviews various safety measures in the oil and gas sector and directs the companies from time to time to take suitable measures to ensure safety in these installations. OISD, a technical directorate of oil ministry formulates safety standards for the entire oil and gas industry.