The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Assam government on a petition filed by Oil India Limited (OIL) challenging the rejection of its proposal for hydrocarbon extraction beneath Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam.

The case highlights the challenge of balancing energy security with biodiversity and forest conservation.

What Is the Dispute?

• Oil India Limited proposes to extract hydrocarbons beneath the national park in Tinsukia district using Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) technology.
• The project requires diversion of 0.069 hectares of forest land, for which the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change refused approval in August 2024.
• The rejection followed the Supreme Court’s April 2023 ruling, which prohibited mining within national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and within one km of their boundaries.
• Oil India argues that underground hydrocarbon extraction through ERD differs from conventional mining because drilling infrastructure would remain outside the protected area.

What Is Extended Reach Drilling?

Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) is a technique in which wells are drilled vertically and then extended horizontally or directionally to reach underground oil and gas deposits located far from the drilling site.

• Oil India proposes to access hydrocarbon deposits approximately 3,500–4,000 metres beneath the national park.
• The company maintains that the technique would minimise surface disturbance within the protected area.

Legal and Environmental Significance

• Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980: Section 2 regulates the use of forest land for non-forest purposes and requires prior Central Government approval in applicable cases.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Provides the legal framework for protecting wildlife and managing national parks and sanctuaries.
• Eco-Sensitive Zone: The notified zone around Dibru-Saikhowa National Park extends from zero to 8.7 kilometres in different directions to regulate potentially harmful activities.

The Supreme Court will consider whether the proposed drilling can be permitted with adequate scientific assessment and environmental safeguards. No final permission has been granted in the present proceedings.

Exam Hook: Key Takeaway

The case raises an important question about whether technologically advanced underground extraction can be undertaken near protected ecosystems without compromising ecological integrity.

One-line wrap: The Dibru-Saikhowa drilling dispute illustrates the need to balance India’s hydrocarbon requirements with legally mandated forest and wildlife protection.