Krishna-Godawari Basin will reduce fuel import bill

Lucknow, Nov 13: The fossil fuel rich Krishna-Godawari Basin (KG Basin) in the Indian peninsula will greatly help reduce the country's fuel import bill, once oil exploration reaches optimum levels in the region, a top palaeobotanist today claimed.

''The KG Basin being explored by Reliance will in fact provide panacea for the country's growing energy needs,'' Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP), Lucknow Director Dr N C Mehrotra said.

Functioning under the Department of Science&Technology, Government of India, BSIP is the only laboratory of its kind in the world.

''Presence of fossil fuel at any place does not necessarily mean successful exploration. What matters is right 'interpretation' of research data, 3D modelling, simulation, spot of drilling and depth of drilling,'' he informed.

Fossil fuels exploration and palaeoclimate research are the two major areas of global and national importance, where palaeobotany, in general, and palynolgy and organic petrology in particular can play a significant role, Dr Mehrotra told UNI here.

''Already known for academic research in paleobotany and allied earth system sciences, BSIP can contribute to the researches related to evaluation and exploration of hydrocarbon potential and geo-history analysis,'' he added.

Dr Mehrotra, however, maintained that fossil fuels would not last forever and exhaust over a period of time.

''The country's fossil fuel reserves are expected to last at least another 20-25 years,'' he added.

Meanwhile, BSIP is organising an International Conference on 'Changing Scenario in Palaeobotany and Allied Subjects' from November 15 to 17.

Eminent scientists from all over the country and 20 foreign shores such as US, UK, China, Russia, Chezk Republic etc will deliberate on various facets of the subject.

Besides, the Institute will also celebrate its founder's Day tomorrow.

Dr Mehrotra said BSIP was in the process of reorienting the profile of research programmes at the institute.

''We have proceeded forward and are continuing with extended collaborations with public sector behemoths Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), besides National Institute of Oceanography (Goa), Delta Studies Institute (Vishakhapatnam), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (Dehra Dun), Geological Survey of India, Singreni Colliery Company Ltd (Andhra Pradesh) and National Centre for Antartic&Ocean Research (Goa).

UNI