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Blockade in Tinsukia hits oil companies |
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Oil majors, including companies and refineries, suffered heavy losses last week with work in some of their installations being stalled by a 50-hour economic blockade clamped by the All Assam Moran Students Union in Tinsukia district.
The students’ union is trying to push forward the communi¬ty’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
In particular, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Assam Oil Division (AOD), Oil India Limited (OIL) and the Digboi Refinery were affected by the blockade.
The blockade which began on Sept. 12, was supported by three other organisations of the Moran community: the Moran Sabha, Moran Jatiya Mahila Parishad and the Moran Kala Kristi Bikash Kendra. Hundreds of activists of these organisations continued to lay siege to the main entrance of the century-old Digboi refinery and IOCL offices at Digboi in Tinsukia district.
Police arrested nearly 500 activists of these organisations. They were released the same evening.
IOCL senior manager (corporate communications) Urmila Baruah said though there had not been much of an impact on the refin¬ery’s functioning, some administrative activities had been stalled by the blockade. But OIL suffered major production losses since Tinsukia district has numerous oil and gas fields.
“Activities at Barekuri, Nagajan, Langkashi, Bagjan and other oil collecting stations were disrupted”, said OIL spokesmen Phanindra Kumar Deva Choudhury.
Floods cause 700-cr loss
Repeated floods in Assam this year have affected over one million people and caused severe damage to the state’s economy. The state government has pegged the losses in the mainstay agriculture sector alone at over Rs 700 crore.
The situation continues to be grim with the Regional Meteorological Centre predicting more rainfall. The floods have claimed 55 lives so far, with eight persons dying in the fresh wave. The flood situation in Cachar district remained unchanged with the River Barak flowing 1.5 metres above the danger mark. The Army fanned out in five blocks of Cachar and Hailakandi districts to carry out rescue operations.
“The state has lost more than Rs 700 crore in the first two waves of floods. Damages caused by the fresh floods are still being assessed,” Minister for Agriculture Pramila Rani Brahma said on Sept. 10.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced that the state govern¬ment would constitute a Flood and Erosion Commission within a month.
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