HC notice to OIL over drilling in Assam national park

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati HC on Wednesday issued notices to 14 authorities, including the Centre, Assam government and Oil India Limited, asking them to respond within two weeks in a case related to permission given to the oil major for drilling seven wells inside Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The sites are very close to the Baghjan oil field where a gas well had suffered a blowout on May 27.
The petition was jointly filed by advocate Mrinmoy Khataniar and mountaineer Amar Jyoti Deka against the Centre’s approval to OIL for drilling inside the forest by amending existing norms under the draft Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2020.