**Executive Summary**
This document summarizes the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1051 regarding safety incidents in ONGC fields in Assam. The response, dated February 5th, 2026, details gas leakages, well blowouts, fires, and other industrial accidents occurring in the last five years, as well as actions taken and compensation paid. Specific details can be found in Annexure I and Annexure II.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Incidents Overview:**
* Six major incidents, including gas leakages, uncontrolled well blowouts, fires, and other industrial accidents, occurred in ONGC oil and gas fields in Assam during the last five years.
* Details of these incidents are provided in Annexure I.
* **Safety Protocols & Audits:**
* ONGC implements the latest safety protocols and procedures.
* Regular internal safety audits are conducted by ONGC personnel.
* Mandatory safety audits/inspections are carried out by statutory authorities like DGMS and OISD.
* **Action Against Responsible Parties:**
* Action has been taken against officials and contractors found responsible for different incidents, detailed in Annexure II.
* **Compensation Details (Incident of 12.06.2025):**
* An ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1,43,50,000 was made to residents shifted to relief camps through the Sivasagar District Administration due to the gas blowout incident at well RDS-147A.
* Rs. 1,13,84,583 was paid to District Authorities to reimburse expenses incurred during the same incident.
* **Infrastructure Upgradation:**
* ONGC prioritizes upgrading infrastructure, replacing aging equipment, implementing advanced technologies for improved reliability and energy efficiency, and adhering to updated guidelines and safety regulations.
**Impact Analysis**
**ONGC Personnel:**
*Impact:* ONGC personnel are impacted by the need to adhere to safety protocols, conduct audits, and potentially face penal actions if found responsible for incidents.
*Action Required:* Ongoing compliance with safety protocols, diligent auditing practices, and accountability for actions.
**Affected Farmers, Workers, and Local Residents:**
*Impact:* Potentially impacted by accidents causing displacement or other damages.
*Action Required:* Be aware of the status of compensation and any other support being provided.
**District Authorities:**
*Impact:* May be responsible for supporting residents and managing expenses during incidents.
*Action Required:* Receive and distribute compensation and manage incident-related expenses.
**Contractors:**
*Impact:* Contractors may face penal action including contractual payment withholds, bans, and investigation, if responsible for incidents.
*Action Required:* Adhere to all safety guidelines and understand the implication of any safety violations.
Key Entities Referenced
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC): The company whose oil and gas fields in Assam experienced safety incidents.
Assam: The state where the ONGC oil and gas fields are located and where the safety incidents occurred.
Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS): A statutory authority that carries out mandatory safety audits/inspections in ONGC fields.
Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD): A statutory authority that carries out mandatory safety audits/inspections in ONGC fields.
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1051
TO BE ANSWERED ON 5th FEBRUARY, 2026
SAFETY INCIDENTS IN ONGC FIELDS IN ASSAM
†1051. SHRI KALI CHARAN SINGH:
पेट(cid:332)ोिलयम और (cid:366)ाकृ ितक गैस मं(cid:361)ी
Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:
(a) the complete details of the number of gas leakages, uncontrolled well blow-outs fires and
other industrial accidents that occurred during the last five years in the oil and gas fields operated
by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in the State of Assam;
(b) whether mandatory safety audits were conducted at the concerned installations prior to
these incidents and if so, the details of action taken against the officials and contractors found
responsible for the said incidents;
(c) the details of compensation likely to be paid to the affected farmers, workers and local
residents, incident-wise and district-wise; and
(d) whether any concrete action plan has been prepared for the modernisation of ageing and
obsolete infrastructure of ONGC in Assam to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, if so,
the details thereof?
ANSWER
पेट(cid:332)ोिलयम और (cid:366)ाकृ ितक गैस मं(cid:361)ालय म(cid:336) रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी
((cid:373)ी सुरेश गोपी)
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
(SHRI SURESH GOPI)
(a): Six (06) major incidents of gas leakages, uncontrolled well blow-outs fires and
other industrial accidents have occurred in oil and gas fields operated
by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in the State of Assam during the last five
years. Details are given at Annexure I.
(b): ONGC follows and implements the latest safety protocols and procedures in all its
operational activities. Regular internal safety audits are conducted by ONGC personnel. Mandatory
safety audits/inspections are also carried out by Statutory Authorities such as the Directorate General
of Mines Safety (DGMS) and the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD). Details of the action taken
against the officials and contractors found responsible in different incidents are given at Annexure
II.(c): Details of compensation paid to the affected farmers, workers and local residents, incident-
wise and district-wise are as under:
S. Incident Date District Compensation
No.
01 12.06.2025 Sivsagar, 1) An ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1,43,50,000 was made
Assam through the Sivasagar District Administration to the
residents who were shifted to Relief Camps during the
gas blowout Incident at well RDS-147A.
2) A payment of Rs. 1,13,84,583/- was made to the
District Authorities to reimburse the expenses incurred
and services utilized during the gas blowout incident at
Well RDS-147A.
(d): ONGC prioritizes upgrading its infrastructure and replacing aging equipment, implementing
advanced technologies for improved reliability and energy efficiency, and adhering to updated
guidelines and safety regulations.
*****Annexure I referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1051 for answer on
05.02.2026
S. Incident Brief of incident
No. Date
01 06.12.2021 An accident occurred at drilling rig E-1400-XIII in the Assam Asset.
One casualty of ONGC personnel was reported.
02 05.06.2022 An accident occurred at drilling rig E-760-X in the Jorhat Asset. One
casualty of ONGC personnel was reported.
03 14.11.2022 An industrial accident was reported in the A&AA Basin, Jorhat. One
ONGC employee was injured.
04 21.07.2023 A fire incident occurred at rig SKP-150-II deployed at well NG#8 in
the Assam Asset. No loss of life or injury was reported in the
incident.
05 07.01.2025 A fire incident occurred at Borholla Gas Gathering Station (GGS),
Jorhat Asset. One casualty was reported.
06 12.06.2025 A blowout incident occurred during service operations at well number
RDS#147A in Sivasagar, Assam. The well was capped on 27.06.2025.
No loss of life or injury was reported in the incident.Annexure II referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1051 for answer on
05.02.2026
S. Incident Date Action taken
No.
01 07.01.2025 Penal action taken against HSE Manager, Process-In charge,
Installation Manager, Surface Area- Manager and Surface
Manager, as per ONGC CDA Rules
02 05.06.2022 Penal action taken against DIC, In-charge-Rig Building and
Assistant- in-Charge Rig Building as per ONGC CDA Rules
03 12.06.2025 Penal action taken against MDT heads, Installation
Manager, Operation Manager, In-charge Logging as
per ONGC CDA Rules and Contractor.
The Well Control Certification Agency through
which the subject contractor obtained training for its
field manpower, has been banned and investigation
has been initiated.
Withheld contractual payment to contractor for the
entire blow out period.