Centre forms 3-member inquiry committee to probe circumstances leading to Assam fire

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) on Thursday announced that a three-member committee will inquire about the blowout at Assam's Baghjan oil field. The committee comprising of DG of Directorate General of Hydrocarbons - SCL Das, former chairman ONGC - BC Bora, former Director of ONGC - TK Sengupta will submit its report within a month. The committee has also been asked to submit a list of measures to prevent such incidents in the future and to analyse the existing lapses in the current Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the company. 

Speaking on June 10, Minister of MoPNG, Dharmendra Pradhan assured full cooperation and said that affected families will be given relief and compensation, as may be finalized with the state government. 

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to a blowout. The probe ordered by the state government will be conducted by Additional Chief Secretary Maninder Singh, who has been asked to submit the report within 15 days. 

READ | OIL confirms death of two employees during fire fighting operations at Baghjan oil well

Fire breaks out at Baghjan well

Set up by Oil India Limited in 2006, the Baghjan 5 well produces around 80,000 standard cubic metres per day of gas from a depth of 3,870 metres. The blowout at this well occurred on May 27 when two simultaneous operations- servicing of the top portion of the well and testing new sand in the well were going on. At least one dolphin and a variety of fish died as the residue of gas condensing after coming in contact with water spread to a distance of 5 km in the nearby areas. 

The well caught fire at around 1.14 pm on Tuesday. As per reports, the blaze was so huge that it could be seen from a distance of more than two km. The Indian Air Force deployed three fire tenders to douse the massive fire after a specific request from Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. On June 10, PM Modi spoke to the Assam CM and assured him all possible support from the Centre. 

READ | Assam gas well fire: 7,000 people moved to 12 relief camps

OIL's statement

Oil India Limited (OIL) also issued a statement on June 10. The company revealed that two of its employees, Durlov Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain had died during the fire fighting operations. It stated that the bodies of the employees had been recovered on Wednesday morning and immediate compensation was being disbursed to their kin. Moreover, 4 other persons who sustained minor injuries were rendered immediate medical help.

READ | PIL filed in Gauhati High Court over Assam gas well tragedy