ONGC, OIL hit by 48-hour oil blockade

Dibrugarh: A 48-hour oil blockade called by the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) in protest against the Centre's decision to auction 12 marginal oilfields of the state hit production of crude oil and natural gas in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) establishments in the hydrocarbon belt in upper Assam on Wednesday.
Drilling and excavation activities of ONGC were hit hard in Sivasagar district as picketers obstructed vehicles carrying workers to the oilfields.
Shift crews were prevented from entering their workplaces and operating crews were forced to shut down operations in several oilfields, including Geleky, Rudrasagar and Lakwa. At Geleky GGS-III (Group Gathering Station), the agitators were pushed back by security personnel while forcibly trying to enter the out-of-bounds area.
On the other hand, around 500 members of the All Assam Students' Union staged a demonstration in front of the Nazira-based regional office of the PSU in protest against the Centre's move. Slogans were raised demanding rollback of the Centre's decision.
Production and drilling operations of OIL were hard-hit in Dibrugarh district as a result of the blockade.
Employees were prevented from entering the oil field areas, bringing ongoing activities to a grinding halt. The AJYCP activists also held a demonstration at the OIL's industrial area in Duliajan.