The preliminary report & finding presented to National Green Tribunal by expert committee over Assam’s Baghjan Oil well fire before National Green Tribunal has been opposed by Oil India Ltd.

Oil India registered its objection by saying that the report is based on desk research, secondary data and unverifiable reports. It may not be taken into consideration for passing any order.

"The said Committee's Report is primarily based on information provided by various organisations, local people and published reports and not based on own scientific or laboratory data. Such unverified data, with respect, should not form the basis of any conclusion on the environmental impact in the area," the PSU said. The Committee of Experts has not made a site-visit till the filing of the Preliminary Report, it said.

"It is stated and submitted that the observations and findings of the Committee of Experts are based on Desk Research and review of secondary data made available through Reports and documents received from various stakeholders," Oil India said.

On June 24 the NGT constituted a committee under the supervision of former judge of high court Judge B.P. Katakey to submit report over oil well fire incident. 

The committee opined in preliminary findings that blowout and subsequent has led to extensive damage to both publically owned resources including the Maguri- Motpung wetland & Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. It also stated major lapses including lack of planning, execution and supervision of critical operations. There was lapses and mismatch between planning and execution at site and deviation from SOP. The lapses were from both contractors as well as from OIL.

In its’ defense Oil India Oil India said that the committee has heavily relied upon statements of an environmentalist which are not based on any credible evidences.  The committee reports are extensively influenced of the report of Wildfire Institute of India (WWI) and are not based on credible evidences.

PSU said WWI has arrived to the conclusion that there was high concentration of various elements in the water and soil and such concentration of elements is on account of release of natural gas and condensate in the atmosphere after the blow out.

"However, no comparative data of the area is available to arrive into such conclusion," it said.

Well number 5 at Baghjan in Tinsukia district, had been spewing gas uncontrollably and it caught fire on June 9, killing two of OIL's fire fighters at the site.

The committee also comprises Member Secretary of Central Pollution Control Board; senior expert from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research; Sarbeswar Kalita of Guwahati University; former forest Biodiversity Board member Abhay Kumar Johari; Ajit Hazarika and ex-chairman Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited.