Sudden uninterrupted oozing gas from the ground and sub subsequent blazing fire occurred at Sabroom in South Tripura has triggered panic among the residents of the area.
The ONGC has sent a team of geologists to Baishnabpur village at Sabroom to examine the gas.
According to geologists, in most of the areas of the state presence of gas under earth surface is common because of its rich reserve of natural gas.
The flowing gas from the thin layer under earth surface might have been there but somehow it got contacted with fire, which made it visible and triggered reaction.
“We don’t have much exploration activities in Sabroom area so far but it can be denied that there is no scope of deep drilling. Proximity to gas bearing Indo-Bangladesh basin in Tripura, the flow of natural gas is common but we have to confirm the viability of commercial gas exploration and figure out the estimate of gas value,” a top ONGC official said.
The official, however, made it clear that preliminary investigation has established nothing unusual. Sources said district administration has taken steps to control the fire and avoid any untoward incident.
Residents on Wednesday spotted fire beside the road at Tilabari and reported to police. Police along with fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.
The ONGC team has collected samples of the gas and has already sent them to Kolkata and Delhi laboratories for test.