Gauhati HC stays Centre’s approval to OIL for drilling in national park

A division bench comprising chief justice (acting) N. Kotishwar Singh and justice Manish Choudhury passed the order while hearing a plea by petitioners Mrinmoy Khataniar and Amar Jyoti Deka, who had sought the stay on permission given to OIL by the Centre in May to drill for hydrocarbons at seven locations in DSNP.

Published on: Dec 8, 2020, 08:20:30 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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The Gauhati high court on Monday stayed approval given to Oil India Limited (OIL) to explore hydrocarbons at seven locations inside the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (DSNP) in Assam.

OIL had maintained that the company won’t operate inside the national park. (PTI file photo. Representative image)

A division bench comprising chief justice (acting) N. Kotishwar Singh and justice Manish Choudhury passed the order while hearing a plea by petitioners Mrinmoy Khataniar and Amar Jyoti Deka, who had sought the stay on permission given to OIL by the Centre in May to drill for hydrocarbons at seven locations in DSNP.

After hearing arguments by advocates Debajit Kumar Das, RS Choudhury and H Betala, who represented the petitioners, the division bench stayed the environmental clearance for non-compliance with a Supreme Court order of 2017 which required OIL to conduct a biodiversity impact assessment study.

The decision is another setback to OIL, which this month abandoned a well at Baghjan in Assam, seven months after it blew out and 17 days after the blaze it caused was doused.The company faced a loss in production and a backlash from local residents over its handling of the blowout. As the well was located close to DSNP and the Maguri Motapung Wetland, the blowout and fire also raised concerns of damage to ecology.

In an affidavit filed last month, OIL had stated that no public consultation for environmental clearance or biodiversity impact assessment had been done yet for proposed drilling for oil and natural gas in DSNP. The company maintained that existing rules do not require it to conduct public consultation and stressed that no work on oil and gas exploration and extraction had started till date.

OIL said it was committed to the undertaking submitted before the apex court with regard to conducting a biodiversity study prior to the start of drilling. OIL had maintained that the company won’t operate inside the national park.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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