The All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU) has threatened to launch a massive agitation against Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), alleging that the corporation has been continuously neglecting indigenous youths in its recruitment process across Assam.
Addressing a press conference in Sivasagar, leaders of the student body accused ONGC of adopting “anti-indigenous policies” that have contributed to rising unemployment in several districts, including Sivasagar.
ATASU leaders claimed that ONGC has not opened major recruitment opportunities in the region for nearly a decade despite continuing large-scale oil exploration and production activities in Assam. According to the organisation, ONGC once employed nearly 10,000 workers in the region, but the number has now reportedly fallen to below 2,000.
The organisation alleged that while production levels have remained largely unchanged, the corporation has gradually reduced local employment opportunities and allegedly engaged outsiders without conducting proper recruitment interviews for local candidates. ATASU further accused ONGC of systematically shifting offices, finance sectors, tenders, and administrative operations from Assam to places like Dehradun and Delhi.
Student leaders questioned why key offices were being moved away from Assam despite the state being one of the major centres of oil and gas production. They argued that such decisions were adversely affecting the local economy and employment opportunities for indigenous youths.
The organisation also warned that if ONGC continues its alleged anti-local policies, it would intensify protests and could even organise large-scale movements, including calls for ONGC shutdown programmes in Assam. ATASU appealed to unemployed youths and indigenous communities across the state to support the movement.
The allegations and warning from the student body have sparked fresh debate over employment opportunities, resource management, and the role of public sector companies in Assam’s economic development.
