Since 12 June, villagers around ONGC’s Well RDS‑147A in Sivasagar have faced an escalating man-made crisis. A routine workover operation—the maintenance and re-entry into an ageing well—has devolved into an eight-day gas blowout, displacing over 350 families, and provoking growing allegations of corporate negligence and unanswered questions about ONGC’s contracting protocols.
From Routine Maintenance to Environmental Hazard
What began as a perforation “zone-transfer” workover by SK Petro Services Pvt Ltd spiraled when extreme pressure breached standard safety limits. Local residents reported hearing a deafening blast, followed by a low hiss that pervades the area to this day.
State disaster teams and ONGC crisis units maintain that BOPs were functional and that they are deploying water blanketing, “junk shots”, and high-volume mud-pumping under advice from unnamed U.S. experts.
Yet villagers continue to report respiratory distress, headaches, and nausea—even as Assam’s Pollution Control Board insists air quality is within limits beyond 500 meters.
A Small Contractor Under the Spotlight
SK Petro is neither large nor internationally accredited. Founded in 2006 and led by the Agarwalla family, it runs roughly 10 rigs in Assam on modest finances—₹50–60 crore turnover, 77–99% bank limit usage, classified as BB– by CARE Ratings, and flagged “Issuer Not Cooperating” by CRISIL for failing to share audited documents.
Critics ask with increasing urgency: How did ONGC entrust such a hazardous and complex operation—on an ageing well in a densely inhabited area—to a small, thinly capitalised firm lacking a serious safety track record?
The Assomiya Yuva Mancha, a local youth group, has gone further: burning an effigy of ONGC’s Assam asset head and demanding SK Petro’s blacklisting, while also calling for the contractor’s owner, Srikrishna Agarwalla, to be arrested for violating safety norms.
Political Pressure for Probe Intensifies
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly accused ONGC of lacking urgency and said SK Petro’s role “will be probed,” demanding mission-mode action from the Centre.
Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi called ONGC’s actions a “complete abdication,” and urged third-party audits and transparency on contractor vetting.
A Pattern of Delegated Risk
ONGC doesn’t operate in isolation. Similar practices were seen in the 2020 Baghjan blowout, where Oil India outsourced vital operations to contractors lacking experience, leading to one of Assam’s worst industrial catastrophes.
This time, the contractor is local, unseen, and untested at this scale—yet again entrusted with human safety and environmental security.
Is Corruption the Missing Link?
While direct evidence of bribery or kickbacks is lacking, the proven opacity in ONGC’s decisions demands scrutiny:
– SK Petro works without a full-fledged website, its online footprint minimal.
– No public account of tender process, audits, or technical vetting.
– Repeatedly awarded rig contracts despite questionable financial and safety standing.
These facts—as seen with Baghjan—form the structural breeding ground for collusion, where small contractors are favoured, risks obscured, and accountability minimized.
What Must Happen Next
1. Judicial or tribunal-led inquiry into both ONGC’s contract awards and SK Petro’s safety capabilities.
2. Public disclosure of procurement documents, including tender details, board approvals, and inspection reports for SKP‑135.
3. Independent environmental and health impact studies to validate or contradict official assurances of normal air quality.
4. Blacklisting and legal action, should investigations find protocols were flouted or fabrication in records occurred.
Bottom Line
This crisis isn’t just technical—it’s institutional. ONGC, a Maharatna PSU with national security oversight, entrusted a high-risk well to a small, under-resourced operator, without transparent vetting. For years. This was not a rogue accident—it is a symptom of a system that consistently delegates danger to those least equipped to manage it.
As family homes stand gutted by broken promises—and a small local firm becomes the lightning rod of anger—it’s clear: India’s oil majors must stop outsourcing risk to the unaccountable. Unless there’s a real reckoning, this leak may plug—but the deeper breach in governance will remain.