Blowout: ONGC Blamed for Communication Failure
“ONGC has not followed protocol before launching the oil and gas exploration activities,” local officials said.
Kakinada: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has been blamed for its failure in providing information to the people on their activities.
“ONGC has not followed protocol before launching the oil and gas exploration activities,” local officials said.
The Malkipuram tahisildar Srinivasa Rao told Deccan Chronicle that neither the ONGC nor the Deep Industries Ltd informed the local administration about the work that was undertaken in the Mori-5 oil and gas well in Irusumanda village under Konaseema district.
ONGC executives have not shared information even with the village revenue officer.
“As a mandal magistrate, I went to the blowout site and made enquiries with an official engaged in the work. But, no ONGC official provided any information and I was also denied entry to the site to collect information,” he said.
Village secretary of Lakkavaram panchayat, Mythili, also said nobody informed her about the gas and oil exploration activity at Mori-5 ONGC well.
Razole MLA Deva Vara Prasad (Jana Sena) described the blowout as a “human error.”
He felt that the officials ONGC personnel extracting oil and gas at the site have not followed scientific methods. They did not inform the local officials or public representatives as to what was happening there.
“Previously, I had urged ONGC officials to inform us of their activities and alert the people of the villages where the oil and gas exploration activities are going on,” he said.
He suspected that the Deep Industries Ltd has not done drilling at the oil well and it has begun drilling at another spot in the well and this caused a blowout. ”I would bring all these matters to the notice of the chief minister and deputy CM.”
Villagers of Irusumanda said they guessed about a blow out and started the evacuation, but the oil company personnel remained tight-lipped. “By the time the officials made announcements through mikes, we had already evacuated the houses and the villages. People locked their houses and moved away, as they were aware of the previous blast incidents elsewhere in Konaseema,” they said.
They said more transparency is expected from ONGC regarding oil and gas exploration activities in future.
