Nearly 100 oil producing wells of Oil India have been hit by massive protests across Assam over the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Oil India sources told Northeast Now, that they have suffered production losses to the tune of 3000 tonnes or 21000 barrels per day in January alone.
They said many wells have shut down and it was proving difficult to resume production there, as in some water has entered.
“It might be impossible to resume production in some of them ,” said a top Oil India official.
Law and order severely suffered during the agitation against the bill.
In some places, like Baghjan, agitators entered Oil India production facilities and forcibly shut down master valves of high pressure gas fields.
“Such incidents proved a huge security hazard. An attempt was made to open the wells again with help from state industrial security force but agitators shut them down again,” the official said.
He said the entire oil and gas rich district of Tinsukia was badly affected not only by protests against citizenship amendment Bill but also by Moran and Muttock communities demanding scheduled tribe status.
The anti bill protests happened at a time when Oil India was considering Production Enhancement Contracts at Jorajan and Tengakhat fields which was stiffly opposed by the company’s middle management.
Oil India has now decided not to go ahead with the PECs until the parliament polls scheduled for May.