Guwahati, Aug 21: After almost 15 years, state-owned Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Khagorijan oil field in eastern Assam‘s Dibrugarh district has started operation.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday attended the ceremonial function of resumption of the Khagorijan oil field of OIL at Rohmoria.

Happy to attend the function marking resumption of Khagorijan oilfield of @OilIndiaLimited at Rohmoria, Dibrugarh.

4 wells were drilled after oil was discovered in the area in Nov 1998 & production started in Dec 2004, including Khagorijan located 1.8 km from the Brahmaputra. pic.twitter.com/woXVpW0HgO

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 20, 2022

Operations of the oil field had been suspended since November 2007 due to administrative and environmental issues.

Chief Minister Sarma said four wells were drilled after oil was discovered in the area in November 1998 and production started in December 2004, including Khagorijan, located 1.8 km from the River Brahmaputra.

Due to severe erosion of the River Brahmaputra, various local organizations in the Khagorijan area obstructed OIL’s operations in that area. After a prolonged blockade by the local organisations, OIL suspended all its operations in November 2007.

Sarma said erosion caused by River Brahmaputra at Rohmoria has severely affected the local people and caused large-scale devastation.

Aiming for a lasting and permanent solution to the problem, several efforts have been made during the past many years but due to various reasons they could not be materialized, he added.

Sarma laid the foundation stone of two projects worth Rs 17 crore for the protection of Rohmoria from flood and erosion. The projects include restoration of flood damages by the River Brahmaputra from Liting gaon to Rohmoria gaon and at Rohmoria from Higher Secondary School to Borotichuk.