Andhra villagers wary of flames from oil rig, want closure of ONGC plant

Villagers in Alamaru in Penumantra Mandal, where Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited has recently set up an oil rig have made an appeal to the government to remove the plant from the area.

Fearful of the flames that have been rising from the oil rig, anxious villagers say they are afraid that it might catch fire and pose a threat to their lives. They also recollected past incidents of blowouts which caused deaths of many and said no official has come forward to assuage their fears or provide any clarification.

"Since the past 15 days, flames are coming out from ONGC rig. All the people are afraid, even small children are crying. Heart patients like me are closing the doors of houses even during daytime. We do not know what will happen at any given time. The government must take care of us.

"Many such incidents had taken place in the nearby areas and some people have also died too. So we want this to be stopped. In case of any big blast takes place, who will rescue us, who will be responsible? We do not want compensation of one or two lakhs after losing the lives of our dear ones. We want the government to save our lives," he added.

Another villager said," For the past couple of days, the fire is coming out of that rig. At first, the flames were very high. Even today, the sparks are coming out. The authorities are dozing it off. But it is recurring. We have doubts about whether it will cause any problem. Some time ago, there was a blow out in East Godavari district. We are afraid that such a blast will take place here also. So we appeal the government to take necessary actions immediately."

Mallipudi Srinivasa Rao, another villager recalled a previous fire incident and requested the government to take requisite measures to resolve the issue, "In the past, there was a blow out at Nagaram in East Godavari district. As many as 30 people died in the mishap. In another such incident at Bodasakurru, 15 people lost their lives. So we want the government to take appropriate action on the same.