Oil officers’ strike on, pumps go dry

NEW DELHI, Jan 8 – Fuel supplies in many parts of the country were affected on the second day of the indefinite strike by oil PSU executives that also resulted in refineries running below capacity and impacted oil and gas production, reports PTI. Talks with Oil Sector Officers Association, the umbrella body of 14 state-run companies, failed today even as reports from several parts of the country said petrol pumps were running dry and aviation refuelling operations were getting delayed because of the absence of officers. In the national capital, about 40 per cent of the petrol pumps owned by Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum went out of stocks, but those of Hindustan Petroleum were operating normally as the company is not part of the agitation. “We have been managing the situation till now, but there are supply constraints,” IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria said. “If the strike continues, we may also see dry-outs from tomorrow.” There were reports of long queues at petrol pumps and delays in delivery of domestic LPG cylinders. “The petrol pumps are running low on inventory in anticipation of a petrol and diesel price cut,” he said, adding senior management personnel have been deployed at airports to refuel airplanes. The Government, however, maintained that the situation was still manageable. “Some shortages can be there but the situation is under control,” said Additional Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry S Sunderasan. OSOA President Amit Kumar, surfacing after two days of hiding, held talks with company management on their demands for higher wages. But the talks, the first OSOA attended in a week’s time, failed as the union kept harping that the Government accept their demands, Behuria said.Our Sivasagar correspondent adds: OSOA sponsored nation wide indefinite strike since yesterday morning has halted ONGC's Assam Asset, Nazira- Sivasagar ,Assam Arcan Basin, Jorhat and Gail Authority of India(GAIL), Lakwa functioning for a second day today incurring over a loss over an estimated Rs 100 crores per day.Four Officers of Assam Asset– Manoj Bhagawati, Jt Secretary CWC, AK Boruah , Working President ASTO , Diwanuddin Ahmed and Saffaruddin Ahmed ,Executive Members ASTO were placed under suspension order yesterday which have provoked angry reactions from the officers here.In Jorhat, according to sources, two officers SS Sodhi and Ranjit Tamuly and in Silchar Asset Pankaj Chetry and R Viswakarmah have been arrested in this connection . All operations and business transactions, oil and gas flow from the region have come to a grinding halt due to the officers strike called by OSOA demanding a hike in pay since the association refused to accept the increase in their salaries announced by the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas recently.Our Duliajan Correspondent adds: The continued deadlock between the government and agitating PSU oil sector officers paralysed the operations of the region’s oil companies like Oil India (OIL), Assam Oil Division (AOD), and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGCL) along with the rest of the nation.Exploration and production operations of OIL with its field headquarter at Duliajan remained paralysed for the second consecutive day except the emergency services and exempted critical operations considering the interest of the PSU.AOD’s Digboi refinery too remained at minimum operation level with total shut down of the production and dispatches which has led to drying up of the petrol pumps of upper Assam particularly. source: assam tribune

NEC funds cut to slow down projects

Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, Jan 8 – Drastic slashing of North Eastern Council (NEC) funds is feared to slow down development projects in the region with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reiterating that the Government of India should consider releasing the entire NEC liability in one single instalment. This act, Gogoi explained, would enable the NE States to complete all ongoing projects during the current fiscal itself. Gogoi, who was addressing the 57th meeting of the NEC on Wednesday, referring to the drastic fund cuts said that the working group on the 11th Five Year Plan had proposed a Plan-size of Rs 12,450 crore, but the Planning Commission has agreed to an allocation of Rs 7,394 crore only.“The allocation is inadequate to meet the hopes and aspirations of the region,” said Gogoi, adding that with this allocation, it will not be possible to initiate new development activities through the NEC.Adding further, he said there were few projects in power, transport and communication sectors, for which revised SFC and EFC sanctions are pending. “I would impress on the NEC to simply the procedure for SFC and EFC. Some of the important projects prioritised during the 10th Plan period but could not be sanctioned may also be considered on a priority basis during the 11th Plan period,” he said.The North Eastern Region (NER) is home to 39 million people, of which, 68 per cent live in Assam alone. Considering the area, location, population and economic status, the State requires investment of a much larger amount during the period. The quantum of funds for Assam at least should be 25 per cent of the total NEC allocation during the 11th Plan, the Chief Minister said.Supporting the proposal to identify the power development, institution development and capacity development as thrust areas for sustained support, Gogoi pointed out that the Council should also support development of industrial infrastructure and capacity building in the various fields like agro-processing, bamboo products, rubber and handloom and handicrafts.He sought support for setting up a bamboo park in Assam through CBTC.On the draft report of the task force on management of 10 per cent Gross Budgetary Support (GBS), the Chief Minister highlighted some of the suggestions made by his government. Assam advocated that 50 per cent of the resources of the NEC should be earmarked for various States in proportion to their population and the balance 50 per cent may be allocated on the basis of backwardness and disparities.It is also agreed that the 10 per cent of GBS shall not be treated as the ceiling and in case any State has more requirement, it may be accommodated without the 10 per cent criteria.The States should be intimated the respective shares of the 10 per cent GBS by each ministry so that they can make their own proposals.Touching on the sensitive issue of project monitoring and evaluation, Gogoi said such monitoring should be done either by Central ministries or by the State Government. NEC and DoNER may, however, monitor and evaluate the schemes implemented with the trust funds provided by them.As regard the relationship between NEC and DoNER, Gogoi said that there should be total transparency about the procedures of sanctioning and allocation of funds to various States. The allocation made is informed to the States in advance of the Plans to be prepared by each of them, he suggested. source: assam tribune

‘Bangladesh hub of NE ultras’

CORRESPONDENT AGARTALA, Jan 7 – Giving a strong message to Dhaka, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Monday said insurgent groups have been using Bangladesh as a safe haven to carry out militant activities in the North East.“We have been giving definite information about the existence of terror infrastructure in Bangladesh, details of cross border movement of these groups and their training with the ISI”, Sarkar said while delivering a speech in the CMs conference in Delhi today.He said that the time has come to put pressure on Bangladesh to dismantle terror infrastructure in its soil. “It is also necessary to seal and guard the Indo-Bangla border keeping in mind the terrorist hideouts there”, he said.“Sealing of border effectively is of prime importance to prevent cross border movement of insurgents. Arrangements like flood lighting, speedy completion of barbed wire fencing and strengthening of BSF along the border should be accorded highest priority”, he said.“It is experienced that in few areas, the fencing could not be taken up due to trouble created by some groups having vested interests”, he pointed out. “People should rise above their narrow interests and assist in expediting the ongoing work of barbed wire fencing as it will greatly help in reducing the incidence of cross border movements”, he said. Expressing concern over the plight of border roads, Sarkar said the present condition of border roads along the Indo-Bangla border is a major impediment to the effective and timely mobilization of forces, when required. He further urged the Union Government to depute an agency to look after the existing border roads with sufficient resources.“We should recognize that at least some of terrorists are a result of economic deprivation and lack of proper economic development in certain regions of the country”, he said.The Chief Minister also underlined the need to ensure dissemination of intelligence inputs to avoid terror strike. “The Centre will have to extend help so that the State Governments could form effective intelligence wings”, he said.He also stressed on police modernization. “Though the police modernization effort is being supported by the Centre, it is not enough given the present day situation. It needs to be given proper emphasis and special priority”, he said. He further advocated for offering modern training to the State police personnel to counter any eventuality in case of terror attack. source: assam tribune

Nationwide officers’ strike hits oil PSUs

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 – Seventeen oil sector officers — 11 from ONGC and three each from IOC and GAIL — have been suspended and two ONGC officers arrested for participating in a strike that had been prohibited by the higher judiciary, according to Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey. Home Minister P Chidambaram reviewed the situation arising out of the strikes by oil sector executives and truckers with a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, Petroleum Secretary and Transport Secretary. The strike call, by officers of 13 oil PSUs today to press for a wage hike, has affected operations in only four refineries with air services by and large remaining normal, while oil companies have stocked themselves up for 15-20 days. Oil companies’ executives today defied High Court orders and went on indefinite strike, leading to a shutdown of gas supplies from the country’s largest fields and cutting of output at key refineries. “The strike is total in all oil PSUs except Hindustan Petroleum. The strike began at 0600 hrs,” Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) President Amit Kumar said here.Our Duliajan Correspondent adds: Operations of Oil India limited (OIL) and Assam Oil Division (AOD) came to almost a stand still except emergency services with the officers of the oil PSUs going in an indefinite strike since 6 am today being part of the indefinite strike called by the Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) demanding higher wages inspite of Government's tough stand of even invoking the National Security Act (NSA) and ESMA and initiating contempt of court proceedings against the association's leadership.According to sources, exploration and production including LPG of the second largest oil PSU, OIL producing around 3.3 MT on an average crude oil annually remained almost at a halt since morning with around 1200 officers abstaining from their services. However three critical oil wells were exempted from the strike coverage and kept operational and partially supplying associated natural gas to AGGBP (NEEPCO), Kathalguri, Namrup Thermal (ASEB), for power generation, Assam Gas Co. Ltd. for domestic consumption. Otherwise almost all the producing oil wells remained shut down during the first 12 hours of the strike which may create complication while resuming its production after strike as during the winter crude tends to accumulate into wax form. While the Digboi refinery of AOD (IOCL) with production capacity of .65 MT annually also remained at minimum operation level resulting in total disruption of the PSU’s marketing and despatches. The Tinsukia terminal of AOD which despatches essential petrol, diesel and kerosene to the petrol pumps of upper Assam remained closed which may make the petrol pumps of the region dry up during the next 12 hours if the strike continues. LPG production was also nil during the strike period which may complicate the already existing crisis of LPG among the domestic consumers in the next few days.Our Sivasagar Correspondent adds: The OSOA-sponsored nationwide indefinite strike involving 55000 officers of 14 PSUs of the oil sector demanding a hike in their pay packages, that began at 4am today, has reportedly paralysed the oil industry of the country. According to ASTO (Association ofTechnical and Scientific Officers, ONGC) sources here, the OSOA strike has paralysed the ONGC Assam Asset completely as over 3500 officers of Assam Asset have struck work . Barring the Executive Director’s office at Nazira, all other installations, offices, production, transportation and drilling operations have come to a standstill since morning today.Crude flow from Nazira to Barauni is reported to be disrupted due to the officers strike to which other workers unions, ONGC Workers Union, Purbanchal ONGC workers union have lent moral support. Visiting the ONGC Sivasagar colony this morning, this correspondent observed the officers gathering in large numbers in front of the open pendal and waiting for amicable settlement massage from New Delhi .Till the filing of this report there is no report of any settlement.However, according to Management sources, critical operations are being maintained in Assam Asset inspite of the strike and the total impact of the strike can be assessed immediately.Our Guwahati Correspondent adds: Though officers of Guwahati Refinery expressed solidarity with OSOA-sponsored indefinite strike by remaining off their duty, routine operation of the Guwahati Refinery, however, remained normal. A senior official of Guwahati Refinery informed that drilling and production operations in the refinery were carried out in the normal way.The senior official, however, stated that oil prices should not go up till Saturday as there is enough stock.“If the strike continues even after Saturday, then we may witness rise in prices,” the official said, adding, “The Essential Services Maintenance Act, which has been invoked by the State to discourage strike, would come into play only when shortage of the oil products will be felt.”The OSOA had called for indefinite strike starting this morning demanding pay-package revisions. Though the government had banned the strike, the Association had decided to go ahead with it. Representatives of OSOA, meanwhile, had a meeting with the Guwahati Refinery meet urging the latter to cooperate with the strike. sourcE: assam tribune

Mike enthrals students from space

Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Jan 7 — Edward Michael Finke, the NASA astronaut, who is popularly known as Mike Finke, today enthused the schoolchildren of the city’s Axam Jatiya Vidyalaya by talking to them from the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Station is rotating round the earth at a distance of 350km. This is for the first time in the country that school students talked to someone aboard the ISS. The International and Indian chapters of the Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), in association with the NASA, coordinated the event.In the conversation that lasted for ten minutes since 1-31 pm, 14 students took part and Rector of the school Ranjit Narayan Deka initiated the conversation with a brief introduction of the school and himself. Mike, 41, answered the questions of the Jatiya Vidyalaya students with warmth. He also answered a question in Assamese stating that he had a working knowledge of spoken Assamese.The questions of the students included what is the difference in environment inside and outside the spaceship, how the quality of air is maintained inside the spaceship, do those in the spaceship lose sense of direction in zero gravity, among others. Mike told the students, among others, that outside the ISS there was vacuum, darkness and cold, while inside, it was comfortable. Temperature inside the ISS is maintained at 24 degree Celsius, he said.He also informed the students that the ISS orbits the earth every 90 minutes and those inside the ISS were confronted with 16 sunrises and equal number of sunsets in a day. The occupants of the ISS cannot take showers and by using body wipes they use to keep themselves clean. They also recycle their urine to make water, Mike said.Many man-made structures on the earth and seasonal changes taking place on the planet are visible from the Space Station, he said.Prior to the conversation, NASA officials talked to the Rector and students of the school and the office-bearers of FASS, India present on the occasion, for half-an-hour to fine-tune the programme. Ranjit Narayan Deka told Mike that about 1,000 people including the members of the school community, guardians of the students and All Assam Students’ Union leaders, assembled on the school campus on the occasion. After the conversation was over, FASS India Secretary General Bidyananda Barkakoty made a power-point presentation on the space expeditions made to carry on research activities in the ISS. He also spoke as to how 16 nations built the ISS in outer space with complete concentration since 1998.The ISS is a space-based research station for carrying out research in biology (including bio-medical research and biotechnology), physics (including fluid physics, materials science and quantum physics), astronomy (including cosmology) and meteorology. So far, an amount of US $ 100 billion has been spent on it and it has got only about 76 per cent of its designed structure. The rest part of the ISS, that is, 24 per cent, is scheduled to be completed by 2011, said Barkakoty.So far, 167 persons have visited the ISS. Of them, six are space tourists. The latest being Richard Garriott, who has paid US $ around 30 million for the visit, Barkakoty said.The ISS is one of the most complex and largest scientific laboratories man has developed so far, he said. He also elaborated how the astronauts undertake space walks for the benefit of the members of the gathering.FASS international chairman-cum-managing director Rajen Barua said in a message from USA, “when English medium schools are mushrooming, even in the remote villages of Assam, at this time, Axam Jatiya Vidyalaya is a live example of how even today a vernacular medium school can compete and excel.” source: assam tribune

Arunachal employees on war path

CORRESPONDENT ITANAGAR, Jan 3 – Infuriated by the Arunachal Government’s reported pressure tactic to invoke some penal provisions of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to prevent them from resorting to proposed agitation in the form of non-cooperation movement, the State employees under the banner of Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) have threatened to go ahead with their proposed stir from January 5 for an indefinite period.Although they had earlier announced to suspend all their proposed agitations after the government agreed to implement the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission from January 1 with notional fixation of pay from January 1, 2006 with payment of six months arrears from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 in two installments during the financial years, 2010 to 2011 and 2011 to 2012, the agitating employees insisted that the government implement the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations in toto.CoSAAP, a conglomeration of 53 State employees associations, last week submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu pleading him to ensure implementation of three years arrears due since January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 for employees, implementation of Sixth Central Pay Commission’s report in toto with cash payment of 40 per cent arrears during the current financial year and the rest 60 per cent during next fiscal, 2009-10, extension of retirement age to 60 from existing 58 years and provision of transport allowances to all State employees.During a press meet here on December 29 last, Home Minister Jarbom Gamling said that the government might invoke some penal provisions of ESMA if the employees did not call off their proposed agitation immediately.On December 27, a day before CoSAAP representatives met him, Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu also ruled out any possibility of rolling back his government’s earlier stand to pay only six months arrears.Khandu further said that in event of CoSAAP not agreeing to accept the agreed pay package, the State Government has decided to refer it to an experts body headed by a retired High Court judge to examine the entire issue pertaining to the feasibility of implementation of Central Pay Commission’s recommendations for the employees. The CoSAAP leadership said that the Federation will launch its third phase agitation in the form of non-cooperation movement from January 5 if the government failed to meet its demands within the timeframe. source: assam tribune

Tripura to install CCTVs to counter terror

CORRESPONDENT AGARTALA, Jan 3 – Alarmed by the recent spurt of terror attacks across the country, the Tripura Government has evolved a new security strategy.From now on, all sub divisional headquarters would have Quick Reaction Team to face any eventuality arisen out of terror strike. Besides, close circuit TVs will also be installed at sensitive, crowded and vulnerable localities, places and public places in Agartala to ensure round-the-clock surveillance. Officials here said, the new security arrangements were finalized in two top-level meetings held here on Friday. Chief Minister accompanied by Chief Secretary Sashi Prakash and DGP Pranay Sahay had a security review meeting with Brigadier SB Asthana at 21 Assam Rifles Sector.Brig Asthana briefed the Chief Minister about the counter-insurgency operations undertaken by the Assam Rifles in Tripura. Assam Rifles commander said many of the insurgent cadres have either been eliminated in encounters or apprehended. Many of them had also voluntarily surrendered. He further informed that the number of active militants had reduced to half during the last one and half year. Chief Minister had a separate meeting with top police officials at Civil Secretariat where focus was given on ways to prevent urban terrorism. source: assam tribune