Fire at Oil India Well Extinguished after Nearly Six Months
State-run explorer Oil India Ltd said on Monday a deadly fire at its well in eastern India that that started raging nearly six months ago has been "doused completely.""There is no pressure in the well now and the same will be observed for 24 hrs to check," Oil India said in a filing to exchanges on Monday.Oil India had suspended operations at the gas well in its Baghjan oilfield in the Tinsukia district in eastern Assam state on May 27 after an uncontrolled gas emission. The company had brought in experts from Singapore-based company Alert to control the blow-out.Officials had since been struggling to contain the blowout…
Oil India's Baghjan Well Catches Fire
An ongoing gas leak at state-run oil and gas explorer Oil India Ltd's Baghjan well in the eastern India state of Assam caught fire on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.Oil India suspended operations at the well in its Baghjan oilfield on May 27 after an uncontrolled gas emission, which has since been ongoing. The company said the fire at the well was being brought under control by experts. There were no casualties from the fire, it said.Oil India has sought help from Singapore-based Alert Disaster Control to contain the blowout.
Four killed in Eastern India during Coal Mine Protest
Four people died in eastern India when police opened fire during clashes with villagers who allege state-run NTPC Ltd violate forestry rights and does not offer enough compensation when acquiring land for a coal mining site. Senior police officer M.S. Bhatia said the deaths occurred after "hundreds" of villagers attacked policemen in Hazaribag district of India's eastern Jharkhand state. At first police used tear gas and rubber bullets, but were forced to open fire when protests intensified, Bhatia added. Police said five villagers and seven policemen had also been injured during the clashes.
India Douses Century-old Coal Fires as Modi Seeks Output Boost
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to move more than 100,000 people living near coalfields in eastern India to new homes, making it easier to douse underground fires that have burned for a century and mine huge reserves of premium coal. Reviving output from India's nationalised coal sector has been one of Modi's most tangible achievements during his first year in office, one that he hopes will secure continuous power to all and eat into an annual coal import bill of $15 billion. The burning deposits of Jharia…
Indian Oil Shifts Focus to Expanding Natural Gas Business
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) , the country's biggest refiner, is expanding its natural gas business as the south Asian nation, the world's third-largest carbon emitter, aims to cut its dependence on coal and oil. Thirteen of the world's 20 dirtiest cities are in India, with New Delhi taking top spot, a report by the World Health Organisation said last year. As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Clean India Mission", the country last year launched an air quality index to help citizens understand complex pollution data and its implications for their health.