Bhupali Saikia Saira Gori Department of Law, Gujarat National Law University, Attalika Avenue, Knowledge Corridor, Koba, Gandhinagar, 382426, Gujarat, India Proceedings of the International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences ISSN 2220-8860 http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/piaees/online-version.asp 2024 14 1 1 11 International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Hong Kong 23 October 2023 2 December 2023 1 March 2024 inland oil and gas accountability regulatory regime risks environmental hazards India The oil and gas industry in India causes number of environmental and social disasters in the process of inland oil and gas exploration and production. Incidents such as oil spills, blowouts, explosions, and fires, cause loss of human lives and damage to the flora and fauna. There were several instances of oil spills and blow outs in India causing irreversible damage to the environment and communities who resides in close proximity. The root causes behind most of the incidents have been and still are due to non-compliance of technical standards and/or negligence on the part of the management in the process of planning, coordinating and supervision. However, when it comes to the regulatory regime in fixing accountability for such disasters, most of the regulations and legislations in the country overlook the incidents or damages caused by inland oil spills, blowouts and explosions. A strong regulatory regime pertaining to inland oil spills and blowouts in India not only to affix accountability but also to ensure safety and compliance of the environmental and societal norms is therefore, the need of the hour. The aim of this paper is to address this legal-enviro gap pertaining to inland oil and gas exploration and production in India. It discusses the key aspects that need to be focused on to form a strong regulatory regime in India pertaining to inland oil and gas exploration and production. http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/piaees/articles/2024-14(1)/risk-accountability-of-inland-oil.pdf