Energy major ONGC said on Wednesday evening that it has initiated the process of bringing in personnel from an international agency to control the ongoing gas leak from one of its oil wells in Assam’s Sivasagar district, even as protests intensified against a private firm tasked with servicing the affected well.
The gas has been leaking for the seventh consecutive day from well RDS 147A. ONGC, in a statement, said its “focused operations to control the gas flow” continued, with in-house well-control experts working round the clock in “constant consultation with an international well control agency.” The process of mobilising the foreign team to the site has begun to strengthen ground efforts, ONGC said. While the agency wasn’t named, sources said it may be US-based.
ONGC also said it had “successfully connected the well to a nearby production facility, thereby diverting a portion of the gas in a controlled manner.” However, public pressure to cap the well remains high.
On Wednesday evening, ONGC chairman A.K. Singh met Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had written to petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri a day earlier. In the letter, Sarma flagged “local perception” of “inadequate urgency and seriousness in ONGC’s response,” and urged a mission-mode approach. “Despite ONGC’s well control efforts, pressure continues to persist and the well remains active,” he said, adding this had caused “considerable distress in the surrounding villages.”
Over 330 families have been evacuated and are being supported by the state government with relief and safety measures.
Local protests
At least three organisations protested in Sivasagar town, demanding action against the private firm — S.K. Petro — that was servicing the “old” well when the blowout occurred on June 12. Protesters also demanded relief and compensation for affected families. Members of the Bir Lachit Sena continued a sit-in outside the firm’s office, calling for its blacklisting and accusing both ONGC and the firm of negligence.
Sources said S.K. Petro is responsible for six to seven ONGC wells and has faced questions about its competency in the past. The firm has yet to issue a response.
Assam PCC president Gaurav Gogoi, in a letter to Puri, raised concerns over outsourcing the task to a private firm “reportedly linked to local influential politicians” with a “questionable safety record.” He asked: “Why did ONGC not undertake this high-risk operation with its own experienced personnel?”
Complaints also surfaced against district authorities for allegedly mismanaging interim relief payments of ₹25,000 per family. One woman alleged the money was given to “non-needy” persons first.
Affected families have reported dizziness, weakness, and sleep loss due to the loud noise from the leaking well. On Tuesday, over 110 people sought medical help at an ONGC-run centre.