GUWAHATI: Residents of Baghjan are not impressed with the directive of the Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) to Oil India Limited (OIL) to close all production and drilling operations in the area, pointing out that the closure notice should have come 17 years back in order to allow sustainable development in the eco-sensitive zone.
The PCBA had through the notification on Friday, had also asked the oil PSU to take all necessary measures to extinguish the gas well fire raging since June 9 last.
A blowout on May 27 leading to the blaze has displaced about 7000 residents besides adversely affecting the rich bio-diversity of Maguri-Motapung Beel, a wetland which is a part of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
“OIL has been allowed to operate in Baghjan since 2003, in violation of the environment acts and without obtaining clearance from the forest department as the area is an eco-sensitive zone with the Dibru Saikhowa National Park just 860 metres from the affected gas well,” Nirantar Gohain, an environment activist and a resident of Natun Rongagora village about 2km away from the affected well, told The Shillong Times on Sunday.
Wondering how OIL could have operated in the area for almost two decades and go unnoticed by the PCBA, Gohain said the “late” action by PCBA is only reactive, and apparently the outcome of the growing protests by residents of the area.
Gohain had on behalf of the residents, earlier filed a petition in Gauhati High Court against OIL’s operations in the eco-sensitive area, but to no avail.
“Now, if OIL moves court against PCBA’s closure notice, we will approach the Supreme Court. We can go even beyond as this is a global issue. The state government certainly should not have allowed the PSU to continue this long,” he said.
“The government talks about sustainable development but such a practice cannot go hand in hand with the kind of industrialization that it has allowed at the cost of ecology,” Gohain, who started an eco-tourism project near the wetland two decades back, said.
He further said that residents have benefitted more from eco-tourism and small industries. “Only a handful of youths from our village and Barekuri have got jobs, that too Grade IV and III, in OIL. So, we would appeal to the immediately stop OIL from doing further damage to the ecology of the area,” Gohain added.
It may be mentioned that the Baghjan Gaon Milanjyoti Yuva Sangha, had staged blockades and scaled up protests in the area demanding immediate compensation and rehabilitation to the affected families housed in 12 relief camps even as talks between the group, OIL and the district administration were held to resolve the blockade issue.