Locals of Ghagara on Saturday marked diesel floating on the Pattamundai-Jagatpur canal at Chhanda Baragachha chowk in Kendrapada district on Saturday. According to former Sarapanch Narayan Parida, diesel was oozing out of earth behind a culvert and flowing with the canal water.
Curious locals informed district Collector Dasarathy Satpathy about the release of diesel from earth. Then, Satapathy directed Kendrapara Tehsildar Hemalata bahalia to conduct an inquiry and submit a report. Accordingly, the Tehsildar went to the spot to take stock of the situation.
“When I reached at the spot, there was no diesel floating on the water. But when I put a paper on source point (as told by people), bubbles started coming out with oily substance, which smelt like diesel. I have collected the sample,” said Bahalia
“While I doubted there might be an oil pipe going underground and that might have developed a leakage or some illegal traders might have hid diesel barrels in order to escape police action, elderly locals said no diesel pipe was running and none of villagers was into diesel business,” said Tehsildar, Bahalia.
Later, she submitted a detailed report to the district Collector and urged to take step for conducting the soil test by the competent authority.
When contacted, the Collector said the district administration would soon write to the Paradip IOCL to send a technical team to conduct a thorough inquiry and ascertain the reason behind oozing of oil substances.