Tirupati MP Raises Amalapuram ONGC Oil Well Fire Issue in Parliament

TIRUPATI: Tirupati Member of Parliament and member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum, Dr Maddila Gurumurthy, on Thursday raised the issue of the ONGC oil well fire that occurred at Amalapuram.

Raising the matter in Parliament, Dr Gurumurthy sought details from the Centre on the gas leak and fire that broke out during operations carried out by a private contractor at the Mori-5 oil field. He asked whether mandatory safety inspections, equipment certification, pressure testing and real-time monitoring systems were in place at the site prior to the incident.

The MP also questioned whether negligence on the part of ONGC officials or the private contractor led to the accident. He sought information on whether action had been initiated against those responsible and what measures were being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Replying to the query, Union minister of State for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi said a gas leak followed by a fire occurred on January 5 during a workover operation at the Mori-5 oil field. He said the field has been operated by a private firm, M/s Deep Exploration Services Private Limited, under a 15-year Production Enhancement Contract since April 3, 2025.

The minister for state said ONGC, with the assistance of its technical experts, brought the fire under control within five days and safely sealed the well. He added that there was no loss of life or injuries in the incident.

He informed the House that statutory bodies, including the directorate general of mines safety, have been conducting regular safety inspections since the field was handed over to the contractor, and that a workover rig inspection was carried out in November 2025.

The minister said that under the contract, responsibility for safety and environmental protection rests with the contractor, and that additional safety measures are being implemented based on lessons learnt from the incident.