The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia and Oil India Limited (OIL) to clarify issues related to the interim compensation of Baghjan blowout victims on Wednesday. OIL was held responsible for the blowout incident in its oil well in Baghjan in May 2020, which impacted over 9,000 families in the region.
On Wednesday, OIL represented by advocate Sridhar Potaraju stated that the compensation amount was deposited to the office of Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner. However, Assam’s state counsel, Malabika Roy Dey appearing before the tribunal said she has received no instruction from the state government regarding the disbursal of the compensation to the affected people of Baghjan.
The NGT Eastern Zone Bench headed by Justice Amit Sthalekar and Expert Member, Arun Kumar Verma asked OIL to file an affidavit showing the disbursal amounts and time it was paid to the Tinsukia administration before the panel. On the other hand, Dey was asked to file an affidavit on behalf of Tinsukia DC. “We direct Dey to file an affidavit of Deputy Commissioner, Tinsukia stating what amount has been received, what he has done with the amount and how that amount has been disbursed within three weeks,” the green panel stated in the order.
Earlier in 2022, the village residents of Baghjan and Natun Rongagora had moved to the Supreme Court seeking a resolution to the compensation issues of the affected blowout victims. In January 2023, the Supreme Court directed the National Green Tribunal to resolve all the compensation issues expeditiously in two months. The principal bench of NGT ruled in May 2023 that there were no outstanding compensation issues even as village residents had yet to file their petition before the NGT. The village residents moved a contempt petition against OIL and the Tinsukia district administration. Supreme Court directed NGT to hear their petitions for which the tribunal issued notices to OIL and the Assam Government in November 2023.
In 2021, the NGT ordered that the compensation was to be paid in two categories for the Baghjan victims. The first category was to receive Rs 25 lakh per family and the second category of victims would get Rs 15 lakh. Based on a letter issued to a Baghjan resident (who refused to be named) Tinsukia DC, Swapneel Paul stated OIL disbursed an amount of Rs 103.14 crore for interim compensation to the district administration of which Rs 103.13 crore was been given to the victims. Paul stated in the letter that the last disbursement was done on May 11, 2022. “Since then, no other fund has been received from OIL and no fund has been disbursed in regard to the compensation of Baghjan victims,” Paul stated in the letter. The letter states that Rs 25 lakh per family was paid to 12 families whose houses were completely gutted by the oil fire and Rs 15 lakh per family under category 1 which includes 161 families and for 439 families, Rs 10 lakh under category 2.
Baghjan residents, however, claim that in a tripartite meeting held between a local village organization, Baghjangaon Milanjyoti Yubak Sangha, OIL and Tinsukia District Administration in November 2020 the interim amounts paid to the two categories are only to be considered as an advance. “OIL requested the members present in the meeting to have a lenient view on the advance amount and suggested offering Rs 10 lakh per family who falls under Category 1 and Rs 7.5 lakh per family to those who fall under Category 2. The members of Baghjangaon Milan Jyoti Yubak Sangha refused to agree to it and stuck to their demand of Rs 25 lakh and Rs 20 lakh to Category 1 and 2 and also payment of the advance of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh as advance to Category 1 and 2 respectively, which would be adjusted in due course after final order of NGT. After a prolonged discussion, it was decided to deposit the advance amount in the office of DC, Tinsukia District by November 30, 2020,” as per the minutes of the Tripartite meeting held on November 9, 2020.
The legal counsel representing the Baghjan victims, Vikram Rajkhowa, however, indicated that the interim compensation as agreed was supposed to be disbursed in two categories depending on the losses and damages. “There were 173 families in the first category and 439 families in the second. The agreed amount was Rs 25 lakh and Rs 20 lakh in two categories. So far, only 12 families out of 173 families were given Rs 25 lakh while 161 families from Category 1 and 439 families from Category 2 were only paid advance amounts of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively which shows that the interim compensation issue is alive.,” Rajkhowa told EastMojo.
Also Read: Assam: Two years after oilfield disaster, bitter harvest in Baghjan
Natun Rongagora victims, however, are far behind in the compensatory mechanism that was applied in the case of Baghjan. For close to six months, around 500 people from this village stayed in rented accommodation due to the intense sound pollution from the OIL-operated rig experiencing the blowout. The affected village residents have a separate petition in the NGT. On Wednesday, NGT also asked the Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia to provide counter-affidavits to the petition by the people of Natun Rongagora. A letter from Deputy Commissioner, Swapneel Paul addressed to Niranta Gohain, a Natun Rongagora resident and the petitioner in the present NGT case in September 2023 states that in a meeting held with local administration in October 1, 2020, no one raised the issue of damaged houses. According to Gohain, people staying in the relief camps were confused during the meeting as many of them demanded that the government should arrange for accommodation for OIL through the district administration. “People were staying in relief camps and rented houses. It was decided in this very meeting that OIL would pay for the rented homes which were unliveable due to the damage and the intense sound pollution,” added Gohain.
Unlike Baghjan which falls under Doomdooma administrative circle, the letter from Tinsukia DC reveals that no assessment report was made for Natun Rongagora by the circle officer of Tinsukia despite orders from the district administration. “Since the damage of the houses has not been discussed in the said meeting, as also the people of Natun Rongagora village do not feature in any list furnished by Circle officers in this regard, no interim compensation has been disbursed to them,” the minutes of the October 1, 2020, meeting stated.
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With interim compensation issues yet to be resolved in the last three years since the blowout, the affected communities from these villages have filed a civil appeal which is pending before the Supreme Court of India. On the other hand, NGT’s Eastern Bench has set February 13 to hear the response of Tinsukia district administration and OIL.
Also Read: Two years after Baghjan oilfield disaster, alarming health concerns