Assam CM chairs high-level meeting at Janata Bhavan on Baghjan fire incident

Guwahati: Days after a massive fire erupted at the Well 5 in Baghjan, Tinsukia, following incessant leakage after a blowout, a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was held at the Janata Bhawan in Guwahati to deliberate on the issue.

In the meeting, also attended by the Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, the losses and damages due to the Baghjan blowout and subsequent fire were being discussed in great detail.

It needs mention here that at the directions of the Chief Minister, Additional Chief Secretary Manindar Singh and Additional Principal Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) MK Yadava have already been sent to the site to make an inspection.

Sonowal has ordered an investigation into the Baghjan oil well explosion and fire in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district that occurred on Tuesday. The investigation into the Baghjan fire incident is to be headed by Manindar Singh, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary of Assam. The Chief Minister has sought the investigation report within a time period of 15 days.

The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Thursday also constituted a three-member high-level committee, headed by the Director-General of Hydrocarbons, to inquire into the fire incident in the Tinsukia oil well.

The committee will identify lapses in laid down protocols and procedures that led to the incident, recommend short and long-term measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents including identifying any gaps in laid down standard operating procedures. The committee has been asked to submit its report within one month.

The high-level committee includes SCL Das, Director General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, BC Bora, former Chairman ONGC, and TK Sengupta, former Director ONGC.

It needs mention here that the blowout site in Baghjan that has been continuously emitting gas and oil since May 27 exploded, and a massive inferno erupted at the spot. Two Oil India Limited (OIL) firefighters Durlav Gogoi (35) and Tikheswar Gohain (55) went missing just after the incident and their corpses were later recovered a day later in a water body at the site.

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