PM Narendra Modi assures help to Baghjan fire victims

Guwahati: After a telephonic conversation with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured help to the victims of the Baghjan fire incident in Assam's Tinsukia district.

According to officials, the Chief Minister informed Mr. Modi about the prevailing situation at the site. The PM, reacting to Sonowal's request, said that he would provide relief to the people who have been affected by the unfortunate incident.

After the fire broke out yesterday, Sonowal telephoned Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to inform him about the prevailing situation in the area, where locals have been living in constant terror since the blowout. At the same time, Sonowal urged the Union Minister to take immediate action to ensure that the situation is remedied at the earliest.

It is pertinent to mention here that a massive explosion took place at the well no. 5 of the Baghjan Oil Field in Tinsukia district of Assam, the site of a major blowout that occurred on May 27. This explosion has resulted in a massive fire that has created a situation of terror among the locals, who have already been living in constant fear since the blowout took place. Footage from the site shows a massive cloud of smoke rising into the sky.

Meanwhile, hundreds of families have been displaced as a result of this fire. The district administration has been tasked with providing relief to the displaced locals by the Chief Minister himself. Two casualties -- both employees of OIL -- have also been reported from the site.

At the same time, Oil India Limited (OIL), which has been assessing the situation, has confessed that it could take several more weeks to plug the leakage. "Post the incident, emergency meetings are underway with ALERT Team. They have expressed that it is now a safe environment for working and are confident that the situation can be controlled and the well can be capped safely. The situation demands the arrangement of large quantities of water, installation of high discharge pumps, and removal of debris. All the operations as per ALERT will take about 4 weeks. Efforts will be made to reduce this timeframe as much as possible", the OIL said in a statement yesterday.

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