Assam: Baghjan locals begin stir against gas leak & fire, urge immediate action

Guwahati: Days after their lives were turned upside down by the blazing inferno that erupted at the Well 5 of Baghjan, the local residents of the area have started a sit-in demonstration demanding remuneration from the Government for the damages that they have incurred because of the inferno.

Gathering at the Digholtorong High School on Friday, the concerned locals staged a sit-in protest. Apart from their demand for receiving remuneration for their losses, these locals have urged the concerned authorities to stop oil excavation at the site.

Relief camp inmates that number in the thousands, have been urging for a quick-fix to the problem at hand, but Oil India Limited (OIL) officials believe that it could take upto 21 days for the fire to be doused. Notably, around 5-6 relief camps have been set up near Baghjan, and around 10,000 people are taking shelter there. In all, the Assam Government has set up 12 relief camps to provide balm to the affected persons.

Taking stock of the situation, the OIL has announced a remuneration of Rs. 30,000 to each affected family.

Meanwhile, Minister Chandramohan Patowary has visited the area seeking to quell the sense of unease in the region, where people are left in fear and disbelief as the fire rages on despite the efforts to quell the inferno.

At the same time, Congress party leaders have accused the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP Government of taking the leak casually. Yesterday, a delegation headed Congress President Ripun Bora met Governor Jagdish Mukhi to express their concerns. In a memorandum that Bora handed to the Governor, the veteran leader alleged that the fire has been caused due to negligence on the part of OIL.

He further claimed that the OIL has failed to control the leakage even after the elapse of 14 days. In his memorandum, Bora also took CM Sonowal for not visiting the affected area himself. "It is very surprising that the chief minister of Assam is visiting different places by helicopter but could not spend some time to visit the spot", Bora charged.

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