GUWAHATI, June 25 - Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today opposed the Centre�s move to auction the 12 marginalised oilfields, reasoning that it would be better if the marginal oilfields are kept with the State�s own hydrocarbon setup, like the Assam Hydro Carbon and Energy Company Limited, as it has been done successfully in Gujarat.
Gogoi, at a press conference, claimed that by auctioning the small oilfields, the State is not going to gain anything.
�Besides, the State also has Assam Gas Company Limited and Assam Power Generation Co Limited to be considered, which would help the State in the form of increased revenue generation,� Gogoi said.
Gogoi also urged the Petroleum Ministry to ensure that Assam, too, gets oil royalty at par with Gujarat.
�As far as augmentation of refining capacity of NRL is concerned, the proposal was already there,� Gogoi said, referring to the Union Ministry�s proposal to augment the refining capacity of all the four refineries in the State.
The senior Congress leader also flayed the Centre for not showing keen interest in granting citizenship to post-1971 non-Muslim Bangladeshi migrants, while intentionally dragging its feet on the issue of granting Scheduled Tribes status to the six indigenous communities of Assam.
�The Centre should show equal keenness in facilitating the Sixth Schedule status to the indigenous communities like it is doing on the issue of granting citizenship status to the refugees,� Gogoi said.
