CHENNAI: None of the hydrocarbon exploratory or production well of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in the seven Delta districts has valid Consent to Operate (CTO) from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the board has said in its reply to a series of RTI applications.
The TNPCB’s reply to the RTI pleas filed by the Cauvery Delta Watch, an initiative by Chennai-based volunteers, could put a question mark over the legal status of the ONGC operations in the Cauvery delta region.
According to the TNPCB, there are 219 wells in Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Ariyalur. Though 71 are operational, none of them has a valid CTO, which is mandatory under Air and Water Acts.
R Vijayalakshmi, one of the authors of the report, ‘Illegal Business: The real story of ONGC’s operations in Cauvery Basin’, which was prepared based on information obtained through the RTI Act and other sources, claimed that the findings were revelations.
None of the agencies responsible for oversight or regulation of the ONGC’s operations has a complete picture of the company’s activities in the Cauvery Delta.
“There is no reliable data on the number of wells in existence, their operation, whether they were abandoned or restored. The TNPCB does not know how many hydrocarbon production wells are in operation in the Delta districts. The TNPCB could provide information regarding only 219 of the 700 well sites declared by the ONGC. Only 71 out of 219 wells on record with the TNPCB are in operation. However, the ONGC claims to be operating 183 hydrocarbon production wells. At least 112 production wells are operating below the TNPCB’s radar. All wells owned and operated by the ONGC in the Delta districts are illegal and unlicensed. According to the files provided by the TNPCB, all wells are operating without valid licences under Air and Water Acts,” she said.
Besides, on June 30, 2017, villagers discovered a massive oil spill from the ONGC’s pipeline from the well in Kathiramangalam village in Thanjavur.
A TNPCB inspection report on the incident dated July 31, 2017, stated that the ONGC was operating the well without the CTO, thereby violating provisions of Air and Water Acts and the board has suspended the operations of the well. Ideally, the board should close the operations of all wells for not having the CTO. The TNPCB has failed to perform its statutory functions, said Nityanand Jayaraman, co-author of the report and noted environmentalist.
When contacted, Kulbir Singh, Executive Director, Asset Manager, ONGC Cauvery Asset, Karaikal, told Express, “These are baseless allegations. All our wells have valid CTO. How can we operate without proper licences? Besides, there is a rule which says if the authority concerned does not respond to our CTO application within three months, it is deemed to be approved. However, we do have all statutory consents mandated by law,” he said.
