The Pollution Control Board Assam (PSBA) is likely to revoke its June 19 order to the Oil India Limited (OIL) to close down all its crude oil and natural gas wells around the blowout-affected one in the Baghjan area of eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district. This would have meant shutting down 17 crude oil and four natural gas wells that together produce a sizeable quantity of OIL’s output. PCBA chairperson Y. Suryanarayana did not specify whether the notice order would be revoked before OIL challenges it legally. But OIL officials said the PCBA has asked them to submit an affidavit for the order to be revoked via email. The cumulative production since May 27, when the blowout happened, has been 8,162 metric tonnes of crude oil and 10.4 million metric standard cubic meters of natural gas, officials said.

Source: The Hindu June 22, 2020 15:11 UTC