New dawn for Northeast's oil

摘要

THE eight states that comprise Northeast India often seem worlds apart from Delhi and the country's commercial capital Mumbai. However, the region was in fact the birthplace of India's oil industry. An oil refinery was constructed at Digboi in Assam in 1901 after crude was discovered nearby in the previous century. Such is the terrain of the region that at one time an elephant was employed - and was actually paid a salary - to deliver produced oil in barrels to customers. Even today there is limited pipeline infrastructure.