APCC, CLP rap sale of oilfields

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 2: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and CLP leader Debabrata Saikia came down heavily on Dispur for selling eight oilfields of the State to capitalists.

In a statement today, Saikia said: “In 2015 the rendra Modi Government at the Centre took a scheme – HELP— replacing NELP. Through this the Centre took a decision to sell 12 oilfields of Assam, asking state-owned Oil India and ONGC to stay away from the bidding. This led Oil India and ONGC to refrain from extracting oil themselves and handed over the oilfields to others. This has proved beyond doubt that the corporate sector is more affectiote than Assam to the BJP. Guwahati has been included in the list of smart cities, but put on hold the entire process for CPG (supply of piped gas) that was underway in the city.”

The APCC, on the other hand, said: “Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was on record saying that in the 12 oilfields of Assam had resources worth Rs 17,000 crore, and to extract them Rs 4,000 crore is to be invested. If that’s the case, why is the Centre handing over the oilfields to private parties instead of investing Rs 4,000 crore?”