Kolkata, Sept. 20 -- State BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya on Sunday said the commencement of crude oil production at ONGC's Ashoknagar field in North 24-Parganas would boost investments and create employment opportunities. He carried out an inspection at the field.
He also stated that he had pursued the project for the past four years by raising the issue in Parliament and followed it up with the Petroleum Minister and ONGC. He mentioned that there will be no political interference in the oilfield.
Bhattacharya gave a clear message to the officials while visiting the ONGC oil extraction project in Ashoknagar and said: "There will be no political interference in your work or management. No BJP worker, no MP or MLA will interfere in this matter. There should be no politics over the state's mineral or natural resources. There is no room for political division here."
Bhattacharya also alleged that the previous state government stalled the project for a long. Speaking to the media regarding the Petroleum Mining Lease (PML) required for oil extraction, he said, "The Petroleum Minister told me that 19 letters had been sent to the then Chief Ministers of West Bengal but no response was given.
"So far the Centre has invested Rs 1,100 crore in Ashoknagar. Once the project is fully operational, the socio-economic conditions of the people in Ashoknagar and the state will change. Huge employment opportunities will be created," he added, saying: "I raised the issue of Ashoknagar in every session. Sometimes in Zero Hour, sometimes in special mention, sometimes in various debates. Even the Petroleum Minister used to tell me it's your baby."
Meanwhile, commercial crude oil production has started in the Baigachi oil field in Ashoknagar since August 28. The first shipment of 1,200 litres of crude oil was sent to Haldia by tanker on Sunday.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.