Assam Gas Blowout: CM Himanta Writes To Union Minister Puri Expressing Concern
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Guwahati
- Jun 19, 2025
- 650
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed deep concern over the continued gas leak from ONGC's well RDS-147 in the Rudrasagar gas field in Assam's Sibsagar district.
He has called for more "proactive" steps by ONGC to control the situation.
The Chief Minister has written to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in this regard and has given this information on his 'X' handle.
The Chief Minister mentioned in his post, "Our concerns regarding the Barichuk gas blowout incident have been conveyed to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. I have requested him to direct ONGC to speed up the well control efforts in mission mode so that the situation does not worsen."
He added that the state government is providing all necessary relief assistance to the affected families, but a more proactive approach is needed from ONGC to deal with the situation and restore normalcy.
Gas leak started from ONGC's well RDS-147 in the Rudrasagar field last Friday. ONGC took operational control of the well on Saturday to control the gas blowout.
Around 330 families have already been evacuated from the spot and the state government is providing them relief and security assistance.
The Chief Minister mentioned that the locals feel that ONGC is not proactive enough in controlling the situation.
In a letter to Union Minister Puri, Sharma said, “Although the district administration and state agencies are working on the ground in full swing, I am compelled to inform that the locals feel that ONGC’s response is inadequate and lacks urgency or seriousness. While previous incidents were dealt with in a war-like manner, the current approach lacks formality and visibility.”
Highlighting the hardships of the people in the area, Chief Minister Sharma said, “Despite ONGC’s efforts to control the well – such as water blankets, high-volume mud pumping and junk shots – the pressure remains and the well is still active. The prolonged nature of the incident is causing considerable suffering in the surrounding villages.”
Chief Minister Sharma had visited the affected areas and the relief camps set up on June 16 and assured the people that their concerns would be addressed.
He urged the Union Minister, “I request you to direct ONGC to strengthen their technical and leadership presence at the site, adopt a more mission-mode approach and increase communication with the affected communities to restore confidence and bring the situation under control as soon as possible.”
Earlier, Union Minister Hardeep Puri reviewed the incident that took place in Well RDS-147 and informed that “gas emission has been continuing for the last 4 days due to abnormally high pressure in the well.”
Hardeep Puri further added that sophisticated methods like ‘junk pumping’ are being used and “ONGC officials are in regular touch with international experts.”