GUWAHATI: Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti has vehemently opposed the Centre’s move to start e-tendering process to “sell off” four oilfields in Assam to multinational companies.
The organisation informed that the e-tendering process for “sell off” has started initially for two oilfields – Tengakhat and Jurajan – with “three multinational firms, M/s Schlumberger Asia Services Ltd, M/s Halliburton Offshore Services Corporation and M/s Baker Hughes Singapore Pte Ltd as the vendors meeting the pre-qualification criteria”.
Disclosing documents on the development before the media here on Monday, KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said that members of the organisation would stage an agitation against the privatisation move, in front of Oil India Limited’s Duliajan headquarters on December 28.
“Thereafter, we will join the trade unions of OIL in the total ceasework launched on January 2, 2019. We will gherao the OIL office at Moran on January 5,” Gogoi said.
Informing that the minimum bid for the auction has been kept at Rs 5crore (US $ 7million) to be submitted on or before January 18, 2019, the KMSS leader said, “Coincidentally, it was on January 18, 1980, when for persons lost their lives while trying to oppose such sale of the state’s oil resources to companies,” he said.
“In the subsequent phase, two more oilfields, Baghjan and Barekuri will be up for offer. The Centre wants to enhance oil production and has therefore resorted to the move to sell them to MNCs, which we oppose,” Gogoi said.
The KMSS leader said that the Centre had decided to offer 12 oilfields of Assam to private companies a couple of years back. “Not just oil, the government has tried to sell off all resources of Assam, including coal, to foreign firms,” he said.
Gogoi further rued the fact that the special category status to Assam (accorded in 1969) along with 12 other states, has been revoked.
“This means that Assam will not get any benefits against the privilege. Besides, schemes under the special plan assistance, special central assistance and normal central assistance have also been withdrawn since 2015,” he said.
He further said that, “Even for externally-aided projects, Assam will now have to bear the entire loan amount.”