Cracks appeared at over 100 houses, a school and a mosque and in an agricultural field on Monday night at Bagjola-Roypur village in North 24-Parganas’s Badurai where the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has been carrying out explorations for crude oil for the past two months.

Villagers have alleged that the cracks developed at their houses following a spate of blasts that the ONGC undertook in search of crude oil and gas in the area on Monday night.

Baduria block development officer Suparna Biswas, who led the team of district administration and ONGC officials to the area on Tuesday, said: “I visited the area today and saw cracks at several houses. I also visited a school building that suffered damage. It appears the cracks have developed because of the blasts carried out by the ONGC. The matter, however, needs further investigation. I have asked the ONGC authorities to suspend work in public interest till further order.”

The villagers demonstrated in front of the ONGC site on Tuesday. They alleged they had not been alerted by the ONGC before the blasts.

“The repeated underground blasts unleashed panic among villagers and cracks emerged at nearly 100 houses. We have asked the district administration and ONGC authorities to compensate for the damage,” said a villager.

“I have apprised the higher authorities of the incident and told owners of damaged houses to submit applications to the local panchayat so that their demand for compensation could be considered,” Biswas said.

In December last year, the ONGC had begun commercial production of crude oil at Ashok Nagar and the Centre decided to conduct further explorations for crude oil and gas in the area.

Local sources said an ONGC team had begun fresh explorations in the area last month but the villagers claimed they had not been cautioned about the blasts.

“Last year, an ONGC team had undertaken search for oil, but it was far away from the residential area. But they began drilling last night to carry out the underground blasts within 50100 metres of residential blocks,” said villager Sahanur Rahaman.

“We heard around 200 deafening sounds of underground blasts on Monday night,” Rahaman added.

Elderly homemaker Mira Biwi said: “We are poor and had built houses using our hardearned money. But the blasts shattered our lives.”

“Roofs and walls have suffered serious cracks. One of my rooms has been seriously damaged. We hope the Centre will help repair the damage.”

Biman Pal, an ONGC supervisor who checked the damaged houses, said: “We saw several houses with cracks and villagers alleged that it happened because of the exploration. I have apprised my higher authorities of the incident.”

District magistrate of North 24Parganas Sumit Gupta told The Telegraph that the matter would be taken up with the ONGC soon.