ONGC looks for foreign copter suppliers

“Mesco Airlines, the only competitor to Pawan Hans is too small to meet our requirements. We are looking for agencies which can take over our entire transportation needs at a telephone call’s notice,” said a senior ONGC official.

ONGC officials informed that they have already sounded out some foreign agencies and a deal could be in the offing within a month or so though they refused to divulge details. ONGC could act as a springboard for helicopter corporations intending to set up base in the country, sources said.

The Pawan Hans pilots strike has forced ONGC to halt maintenance at several of its wells at Bombay High as engineers cannot be transported there.

According to a company spokesman, output at these wells have fallen by 4000 barrels per day. Normal production will be restored within a fortnight from the day the strike is called off, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, four executive pilots of Pawan Hans today joined their subordinates in the two-week old strike. The striking pilots are demanding the suspension of P S Sood, deputy general manager, operations and A K Shrivastava, DGM personnel, for not coming to their aid when they were gheraoed and threatened with violence by the general staff of the company. While G S Hundal, managing director, Pawan Hans, has promised an enquiry into the incident which occurred on the evening of November 26, the strikers are demanding that the two officials be suspended immediately.