**Summary:**
This document summarizes the response to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 165, addressed on July 31, 2025, concerning gas leak incidents in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited wells. The response, provided by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, indicates that from 2020 to the present, there were no gas leaks or blowouts in ONGC wells until June 12, 2025. On June 12, 2025, a single gas leak incident occurred at well RDS147A in the Sivasagar Asset, Assam and was capped on July 24, 2025.
The Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), a technical directorate under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), formulates safety standards and conducts periodic external safety audits of oil and gas installations, including rigs and wells. OISD conducted the following number of safety audits at ONGC installations in the last five financial years: 70 in 2020-21, 94 in 2021-22, 104 in 2022-23, 105 in 2023-24, and 118 in 2024-25. ONGC also conducts internal safety audits of its installations through its Health, Safety, and Environment Department. The last external and internal safety audits for installation RDS147A were conducted in May 2022 and February 2025, respectively.
Key Entities Referenced
LOK SABHA: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question was raised.
SHRI HARISH CHANDRA MEENA: Member of Parliament who asked the question regarding gas leak incidents.
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS: The ministry responsible for the oil and gas sector.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC Limited: A major oil and gas exploration and production company in India, whose wells are the subject of the question.
SHRI HARDEEP SINGH PURI: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Oil Industry Safety Directorate OISD: A technical directorate under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas responsible for formulating safety standards and conducting audits.
RDS147A Sivasagar, Assam: The well location in Sivasagar district, Assam, where a gas leak incident occurred.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas MoPNG: The government ministry overseeing the petroleum and natural gas sector in India.
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *165
TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2025
GAS LEAK INCIDENTS IN ONGC’S WELLS
†*165. SHRI HARISH CHANDRA MEENA:
प(cid:282)े ो(cid:871)लयम और (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस म(cid:287)ं ी
Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of incidents of gas leaks or blowouts that have taken place in the wells of Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited during each of the last five years and the
current year, location-wise;
(b) whether any safety audit has been conducted in this regard; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
प(cid:282)े ो(cid:871)लयम एवं (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस म(cid:287)ं ी
((cid:302)ी हरद(cid:547)प (cid:871)सहं परु (cid:547))
MINISTER OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
(SHRI HARDEEP SINGH PURI)
(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) IN RESPECT OF
LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *165 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2025
REGARDING ‘GAS LEAK INCIDENTS IN ONGC’S WELLS’ ASKED BY
SHRI HARISH CHANDRA MEENA
(a) to (c) :As per information furnished by Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), a gas
leak or blowout is an uncontrolled flow of well fluids and/ or formation fluids at surface or
sub-surface from the wellbore.
The details of incidents of blowouts or gas leaks, which have taken place in the wells of Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited during last five years and current year, are as
follows:
Year No. of blow Well No. Asset Date of incident
outs at – Date of
ONGC’s capping
Wells
2020-21 0 - - -
2021-22 0 - - -
2022-23 0 - - -
2023-24 0 - - -
2024-25 0 - - -
2025-26 1 RDS#147A Sivasagar, Assam 12.06.2025 -
(till 24.07.2025) Asset 27.06.2025
As a technical directorate under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), OISD
formulates standards and conducts external safety audits of Oil and Gas installations
(including of rigs and wells) periodically. The detail of safety audits conducted by OISD at
ONGC Installations during the last five years is as follows:
Financial Year No. of Installations Audited
2020-21 70
2021-22 94
2022-23 104
2023-24 105
2024-25 118
Additionally, as a regular exercise, ONGC also carries out internal safety audit of their
installations through their Health, Safety & Environment Department.
As per OISD and ONGC, in respect of the aforesaid installation, ie RDS#147A, the last
External and Internal Safety Audits were conducted in May, 2022 and Feb, 2025,
respectively.
******