State-owned drilling firm ONGC has reported a more than 50 per cent decline in oil production at its fields off the Mumbai Coast due to the officers' strike, which entered the third day on Friday. "Crude oil production from Bombay High and the Neelam, Heera and South Bassein fields is just over 1,70,000 barrels today against the normal day output of about 3,50,000 barrels per day," a company official said. Natural gas production from the fields was almost nil, impacting supply to industry and city gas operations. Bombay High and its adjoining fields on normal days produce 12.8 million standard cubic metres of gas per day but today the production was negligible. The gas from these fields is send to Uran in Maharashtra for processing and onward distribution. Against a normal day sale of 10.5 mmscmd, the company could give only marginal quantities to Mahanagar Gas Ltd, which distributes CNG in Mumbai. The South Bassein fields on a normal day produce 29 mmscmd of gas but have been shut since Wednesday. Executives of public sector oil companies except HPCL are on strike since January 7 to press for higher wages.

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