OIL will strengthen Guwahati office, says CMD

• We have been advised to strengthen the Guwahati office for close liaison with the state government, said the OIL CMD

• The news came a day after certain media reports claimed that OIL had been asked to relocate its corporate head office from Noida to Assam

New Delhi: State-run Oil India Limited's (OIL) Chairman and Managing Director SC Mishra has said that the company has plans to establish and strengthen its office in Guwahati and also that there are no plans to relocate headquarters from Duliajan, Assam. The statement came a day after certain media reports claimed that OIL had been asked to relocate its corporate head office from Noida to Assam in the aftermath of the Baghjan blowout incident because the government wants top OIL executives to stay close to the company's area of operation in the North-East.

Speaking to PSU Watch on Tuesday, the OIL CMD said, "OIL's registered office is in Duliajan, Assam. The decision will enable OIL's top officials to remain in close liaison with the state government of Assam and the other NE states for its operations in the Northeast."

Baghjan well blowout

The well blowout in Assam's Baghjan, which started in May 2020, was one of the worst industrial disasters of the state which lasted for around 190 days. A well blowout means an uncontrolled escape of crude oil or natural gas from an oil well. The incident has been particularly dangerous because of the oilfield's proximity to the Dibru Saikhowa national park, which is a biodiversity hotspot, and the famous migratory bird habitat Maguri-Motapung Beel. Due to the incident, oil and natural gas also seeped into the nearby wetlands which are home to a variety of species and the atmosphere and killed animals in the vicinity.

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The decision to strengthen the Guwahati office of OIL has been taken in the wake of the Baghjan incident and with a view to ensuring closer coordination between the state government, OIL and local stakeholders.

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