GUWAHATI: A day after announcing its “intent” to move Gauhati High Court challenging the notice issued by Pollution Control Board Assam to close all operations in Baghjan, Oil India Limited on Monday claimed that the “closure notice is in the process of being lifted”.
OIL sources said the PCBA chairman and OIL chairman and managing director had a telephonic talk on Monday folowing which the pollution board decided to withdraw the notice served to the company last Friday to stop “all production and drilling operations at Baghjan oilfields forthwith”.
The development also comes a day after chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had expressed reservations over the PCBA order, considering the fact that industries and tea gardens in Upper Assam were directly dependent on natural gas produced by OIL.
There are as many as 22 active wells in the Baghjan region, 18 of them producing crude oil and four of them natural gas. The oilfield has been in operation since 2003.
A gas well (number five) had caught fire triggered by a massive explosion on June 9 after spewing gas uncontrollably since May 27 last. Two firefighters of OIL have lost their lives at the site.
The fire still rages as preparations are under way to cap the well even as authorities claim to contain the blaze by July 7.
The PCBA had earlier issued a show cause notice to the PSU on June 10 seeking details of its operations in Baghjan, in a week’s time.
The pollution control board however cited several violations by OIL before serving the closure notice on June 19.
OIL however denied the violations claiming that it had the “consent” of PCBA for all operations in the state.
The PSU had threatened to file a writ petition on Monday if the PCBA did not withdraw its closure notice.
