Assam oil field, refineries closes down

Guwahati, Aug 21: The vast oil fields of upper Assam and four refineries of the state have been shut down today following a nationwide strike called by the officers of the oil industry demanding better pays.

Presently, all the oil rigs and pump lines have been closed and the refineries have also been closed down as the Oil Sector Officers Association(OSOA) and the Association of Scientific and Technical Officer Association(ASTO) began the nationwide strike.

The petrol pumps generally have two days' stock so the problem would be felt tomorrow when the stocks begin to fall short and eventually dry up.

''All 3,600 officers of the ONGC posted in Northeast India are on a strike. Similarly the OSOA, which involved 12 other PSUs, were also on the strike,'' The ASTO President Garub Das have informed here.

The Digboi, Numaligarh, Guwahati and Bongaigaon refineries have all been closed down. Assam produces about six million tonnes of crude per year, which is not sufficient to feed all the refineries.

The Bongaigaon refinery survives from the Rava crude coming from Bay of Bengal.

The OSOA spokesman Tridiv Hazarika, from the Oil India Limited, said their exploration activities in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts as well as Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh have come to a complete halt.

Similarly the oil fields of Sivsagar and Jorhat, which belong to ONGC have also been closed.

''In fact the cooling process of the oil fields started yesterday itself,'' said Tridiv Hazarika.

Assam has the largest on-shore oil facilities of the country although it produces a very small percentage of the country's total needs.

The petrol pump owners informed that unless there is panic buying, the stock should last until tomorrow. We may feel the heat only on Wednesday. ''But situation can change dramatically if panic buying starts'' Mr Pranab Goswami, a retailer said.

Officers of the oil companies rejected an offer of interim relief made by their employers. The officers are demanding, among other things, 50 per cent DA be merged with their basic pay.

However, the earliest to be hit is the aviation industry as in the Northeast with all airways being completely dependant on Indian Oil. The stock will barely last a day in Guwahati, official reports informed.

UNI