Drive for exploration of natural gas, oil in Bihar

PATNA: Lok Janashakti Party state president Narendra Singh has urged Prime Minister Vajpayee to get a separate survey team constituted for Bihar and launch an intensive drive soon to explore the possibility of huge reserves of natural gas and crude oil through deep drilling in the state.

In a letter to the PM, Singh has drawn his attention to the possibility of huge reserves of natural gas and crude oil in the state, particularly in the northern border area from Bettiah to the Kosi region up to Purnia, which, according to him, has been established by geologists. The exploration work has suffered for years in the sub-basins of Ganga, Gandak depression and western Madhubani depression due to non-supply of drilling machines.

According to Singh, for the first time in 1962 Indian geologists in collaboration with Russia had launched an exploration drive for natural gas and crude oil in the rural areas of East and West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Kishanganj and Araria districts. Keeping in view the possibility of petroleum, ceramic recording and deep drilling were first done at Haldia Kothi in the border area of Raxaul. Then deep drilling was carried out in the Gandak basin of Bettiah and Jogapatti (West Champaran) and Dullipatti (Madhubani), which are rich in hydrocarbons, he added.

Again from 1980 to 1992 the Kolkata regional office of the ONGC as part of its deep-drilling scheme held land-survey camps at several places in Bihar. Ceramic recording was done and photographs of land surface taken. But the work was stopped midway in 1987 and the drilling machine sent to Assam. No alternative deep drilling machine was supplied to Bihar nor drilling point provided.

Singh said what is alarming is that China in collaboration with the Nepal and US governments has launched exploration of oil source in the Gandak basin. A team of American geologists surveyed 48,000 sq km of hilly areas of Nepal in 1989. Dr Gin, a member of the team, in his report, indicated the possibility of huge reserves of natural gas and crude oil in the areas falling on Indo-Nepal border. France and Netherlands too have become active in these areas. "If the Union government fails to do something quickly about it, the natural gas and crude oil reserves will be siphoned off by foreign countries causing a huge loss to India," Singh stated.

Singh alleged that some ONGC and CRBC officials have been conniving with foreign countries and demanded that stern action be taken against them after a probe into their activities.

timesofindia.com