Oil and gas discovered at Tando Alam

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has hit a major discovery at Tando Alam, which is going to add to its oil production by 5000 barrels and 30mmcfd gas per day.
Minister of state for petroleum and natural resources M. Naseer Mangal and OGDCL managing-director Riziuddin are scheduled to fly to Tando Alam on January 7 to announce the discovery.
They are supposed to announce a special award of one-month salary as incentive to employees, who worked tirelessly at Tando Alam field to make the new discovery a success.
Tando Alam is a leading potential field, which contributes 50 percent oil production of the OGDCL, besides 50mmcfd gas per day. With the upcoming discovery, the OGDCL''s total oil production will reach to over 25,000 barrels and gas 80mmcfd per day.
The credit of this achievement goes to employees, who strongly opposed transfer of this most potential area to British Petroleum and made it clear to the managing-director that since the decision was not in national interest, it was not acceptable to them.
Sources said, as a last-ditch effort, the managing-director held talks with Tando Alam employees'' action committee headed by Hasan Bux Khoso in Islamabad last week, and tried to convince it that handing over of field would serve them better.
But the action committee outrightly rejected the managing-director''s argument and made him clear that handing over of Tando Alam field to any foreign company was not acceptable to employees.
The action committee was of the view, handing over was a pre-planned bid to deprive the country of the most potential oil and gas production. The latest discovery has confirmed employees'' point of view.
Finally, the managing-director showed flexibility and conveyed to the action committee that the state minister for petroleum and natural resources will announce during his visit to Tando Alam that the field will stay as OGDCL property forever.
Sources said, the state minister''s categorical announcement that Tando Alam field will not be handed over to the British Petroleum will restore employees'' confidence to work with more vigour in future.
One member of the action committee told Business Recorder, employees are ready to give state minister and OGDCL managing-director a warm welcome on January 7, when they fly to Tando Alam to declare the field was OGDCL''s property and it will remain so in future.