Fearing displacement, Muktsar panchayats urge govt to stop hydrocarbon exploration

Panchayats of 10 villages here have approached the state government demanding to halt a seismic survey being carried out by a Haryana-based company for public sector energy behemoth Oil India Limited to explore the possibility of hydrocarbons there.

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Oil India Limited (OIL) is a central public sector undertaking (PSU), which is engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas.

A seismic survey is a method of imaging the earth’s subsurface by recording and measuring artificially generated ground vibrations. This is used in the exploration of petroleum, natural gas and mineral deposits.

The villages where the survey is being undertaken are Mahuana, Aadhnian, Sehna Khera, Tappa Khera, Fatehpur Manianwala, Fatuhi Khera, Roranwali, Tarmala, Kandu Khera (all in Lambi), and Abul Khurana in Malout.

Khushveer Singh Maan, sarpanch of Sehna Khera village, said, “Panic has spread in the 10 villages as a private company has started a seismic survey to explore the possibility of oil reserves. These villages have fertile agricultural land and no one wants to get displaced from here.”

Maan said the company officials, who are visiting their village, have refused to share any details. “We have approached the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats to immediately stop this survey,” he said.

He said the company officials have even started demarcating land required for their survey.

“Thus, we have now started exploring legal options as well,” he said.

In response, Lambi’s Block Development and Panchayats Officer (BDPO) Rakesh Bishnoi said they recently received a letter from the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) ordering to “assign duties to panchayat secretaries to assist DS Geo Services Private Limited company in conducting the survey for OIL”. “The survey has spread panic among villagers. Some sarpanches met me over this and I told them not to worry. The company officials have not met us yet, but we will fix a meeting of the sarpanches with them to clear all doubts,” he added.

The Tribune procured the letter issued by the Malout SDM in this regard. Dated December 23, it was issued to the Malout tehsildar, Lambi naib-tehsildar and BDPO.

Speaking over the phone, DS Geo Services Private Limited project manager Chhail Singh, said, “We are conducting a seismic survey to explore hydrocarbons. We will drill four-inch-wide boreholes at a depth of around 2,000 metres for the survey and submit the findings to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

However, Malout SDM Sanjeev Kumar sought to downplay the issue. “A private company is just conducting a survey for OIL to lay a gas pipeline. I am not aware of the exact details,” he added.

Potash reserves cause for concern among villagers

Meanwhile, residents of Kabarwala, Sarawan Bodla and Kattianwali villages, all three falling in the Lambi Assembly segment feared losing out on their fertile land as reserves of potash were found there as per a study conducted by the Geological Survey of India.

“We are afraid that our fertile land will be acquired for the mining of potash. Officials of the Revenue Department had last year prepared a drawing of our land,” said Gagandeep Singh, a farmer leader.