AGENCIES
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a review meeting with crisis management team, Ministry and OIL officials through video conferencing on the fire in an OIL gas well in Tinsukia district of Assam.
It has been reported that except at the well plinth area, the fire around the site has mostly extinguished. However, the burning of gas at the well mouth will continue till the well is capped.
The fire in around 200 meters periphery has completely burnt about 15 houses, while another 10-15 houses have been partially affected. It is also reported that two firemen of Oil India Ltd have died.
The debris of burnt rig, fire engines and other material around the well site will be removed before any operation can be started to cap the well. Arrangements of continuous water supply will have to be made before activities are undertaken at the site, and all the operations will take about 4 weeks to complete.
Around one thousand six hundred families had already been evacuated from the nearby affected areas and are camped in relief camps set up at nearby safe areas. OIL has decided to provide an amount of 30 thousand rupees to each of the affected families as an immediate relief. The Ministry is constantly reviewing and monitoring situation
