Guwahati, April 16: Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan has asked officers of ONGC Assam Asset to think differently so that the decline in production can be arrested and oil can also be procured from new areas.

"The traditional way of thinking will not help make a turnaround of this Asset," Pradhan said to the officers yesterday at Nazira.

He reviewed the overall performance of the ONGC Assam Asset to find out what should be done in order to increase the production of one of the oldest Assets of ONGC. This was stated in a ministry of petroleum and natural gas communiqué issued today.

The minister visited the Geleky drill site (EV 2000 5) and took keen interest on the onshore drilling process to understand the nitty-gritty of the complicated drilling activities as well as the working conditions of the employees.

He also visited the Geleky GGS-I (Group Gathering Station-I) where oil is collected from all the wells in the surrounding areas. The Geleky GGS-I was constructed in 1968 and currently produces over 1,000 tonnes of crude oil per day.

He said the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the progress of Northeast can be realised only when we are able to exploit the natural resources in this region, particularly oil and gas in a much faster and better way.

The ONGC team has assured the minister that no stone would be left unturned to achieve higher production from this Asset.

Pradhan was accompanied by Assam MPs Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Rameshwar Teli, additional secretary in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas A.P. Sawhney and chairman and managing director of ONGC Dinesh K. Sarraf.

He also reviewed the various activities in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Assam and shared his thoughts about how CSR activities can be made more structured and people-oriented.