All Sivasagar District Students' Union Protests ONGC's Decision to Outsource Rig Management to External Company

SIVASAGAR: The activists of All Sivasagar District Students’ Union has strongly opposed a decision by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to hand over the management of one of its rigs to an external company named ‘South Asia’ through a central tender. ONGC, a major national enterprise involved in oil production, has been operating in Assam, managing 14 rigs in the region.

In a press release issued by the president Manab Hazarika and general secretary Dipankar Saikia of the union, the organization warned ONGC against implementing this decision. They remarked the move as the beginning of the end for ONGC’s operations in Assam. The union alleged that anti-Assam elements within the corporation were behind this decision and emphasized that the people of Assam would not tolerate such actions. They demanded that ONGC employ local staff to manage the rigs directly and cancel the outsourcing plans immediately.

The student leaders further warned that if the authorities proceed with outsourcing, ONGC would not be allowed to operate peacefully in the region. Samiran Phukan, central executive of AASU, also criticized ONGC’s top management, accusing them of neglecting Assam’s resources. He claimed that ONGC’s focus on production increases without recruiting adequate personnel and following scientific processes was unacceptable.

Recently, ONGC decided to hand over the operations and maintenance of Rig No. 4900, located at Taxi Mothadang area near National Highway 37 in Sivasagar, to the external firm “South Asia”. The student union stated that this step, along with the potential outsourcing of more rigs, is part of a larger conspiracy by ONGC to reduce costs at the expense of Assam’s resources. The union is determined to stop this move at all costs.

In 2022, ONGC received approval to recruit 266 staff members under its Assam operations. However, after Arun Kumar Singh took over as chairman in December 2022, the organization halted recruitment, labeling the Assam asset as a loss-making entity. The union leaders stated that Assam would not accept such decisions and warned ONGC to reconsider its anti-Assam stance, or face widespread protests.

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