Sivasagar gas leak: PCBA slaps notice on ONGC for lacking green clearances
The ONGC has been granted 15 days to respond to the notice
ONGC personnel at the site of gas leak in Sivasagar (Photo: @GauravGogoiAsm / X)
Sivasagar, June 24: The Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) has issued a show cause notice to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for operating its oil well No. 147 at Bhatiapar–Barichuk without obtaining mandatory environmental clearances.
The ONGC has been granted 15 days to respond to the notice. Failure to do so could invite punitive action, including financial penalties and legal proceedings, the notice dated June 21, read.
“This notice underscores the importance of adhering to environmental regulations. No entity, however large, is above the law,” said a PCBA spokesperson.
The notice accuses ONGC of violating key provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
The company, according to the Board, also failed to secure both Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) for the site, which is located in the Rudrasagar oilfield area of Sivasagar district.
During a recent site inspection, PCBA officials confirmed that uncontrolled gas was leaking from the well, posing serious risks to both the environment and public health.
The Board noted that ONGC had previously been directed, through a formal notification (TECH-12013/2/2025-CCA-PCBA), to obtain clearances for all drill sites—a directive the PSU allegedly ignored.
Citing a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated February 19, 2019, the PCBA stated that it is empowered to impose Environmental Compensation Fines (ECF) for non-compliance.
The development comes as ONGC continues to face scrutiny over the ongoing gas blowout at the same site, RDS-147A, which has been spewing gas uncontrollably for the past 13 days.
As ONGC scrambles to control the leak, the regulatory pressure adds a new layer of urgency to the crisis, highlighting concerns over safety lapses and disregard for environmental protocols in the country’s energy sector.