: A committee under theEnvironment Ministry has given the 'green signal' for onshore exploration, development and production by the city-based infra major Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) at an oil and gas field in Gujarat.According to the minutes of the meeting of Environmental Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, MEIL sought clearance to develop CB/ONDSF/Khambel/2016, an oil and gas block spread in Patan and Mehsana districts in Gujarat."The EAC, after deliberations, recommended the project for grant of environmental clearance subject to submission of conservation plan for schedule I species to CWLW (chief wildlife warden). The EAC has also recommended the following specific terms and conditions as...," the EAC said.According to the Environmental Impact Assessment report submitted by the MEIL to the Ministry the investment would involve USD 10 million for three wells.There are no national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, tiger/elephant reserves, and wildlife corridors within 10 km distance from the block area.Narmada Canal and Khari River are passing through the study area and according to MEIL there is no forest land involved in this activity, the minutes said.On completion of the project, necessary measures shall be taken for safe plugging of wells with secured enclosures to restore the drilling site to the original condition, the EAC said as one of the conditions for the EC.MEIL, in 2018, said it bagged two mega off-shore oil fields in Gujarat and Assam.The Khambel Oil Field is in Khambe Basin located at West Coast of Gujarat and Lakshmi Zen Oil Field is in North Eastern Arcan Basin in Assam.A senior official of the company then said MEIL will invest aboutUSD 100 million in the fields, to be raised from internal accruals.The company estimated that Khambel Oil Field would provide life-time production with a production target of 3.70 lakh barrelsof crude oil and 1.3 lakh cubic meters of gas every day from the field.
