Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Supreme Court granted Oil India Ltd permission to withdraw its pending application regarding an Extended Reach Drilling project beneath Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the case on Wednesday. The court confirmed the company can now file a fresh petition if it establishes a new cause of action. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the firm, argued for an urgent review of the rejected forest land diversion.
Oil India wants to use 0.069 hectares of forest land in Tinsukia district to access deep hydrocarbon reserves. The government blocked the project by citing a 2023 Supreme Court order that forbids mining within national parks and their one-kilometre buffers. Oil India contends its specific method is not conventional mining. The company aims to drill to depths of 3,500 to 4,000 metres from surface facilities located outside the park boundaries. Dwivedi told the bench that “the necessary permissions had already been obtained” before the government blocked the work.
The company is fighting an August 2, 2024, order from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This order upheld the July 4, 2024, findings of the Forest Advisory Committee, which stalled the Baghjan Petroleum Mining Lease operations. Oil India maintains it has followed strict environmental safeguards since receiving clearance in May 2020. It points to a 2017 Supreme Court order that previously allowed hydrocarbon extraction beneath the park. The company now seeks approval under the Van Adhiniyam, 1980, to push forward with its horizontal drilling plans.
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