A day after fire broke out at the Indian Oil Corporation ltd’s (IOCl) refinery here, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday visited the affected site to review the situation.
Pradhan said the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) would investigate into the incident and submit its report within three days. “The fire was caused due to a technical failure,” he told the media here.
The mishap has occurred barely a week ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the refinery to inaugurate the 15-MMPTA (million metric tonnes per annum) plant on February 7. “The Prime Minister’s visit will be as per the schedule and there will be no changes. Power Ministers from four countries would be present during the inauguration ceremony,” Pradhan added.
The fire engulfed the plant’s Atmospheric & Vacuum Unit (AVU) near the gate No.1 of the refinery, following which seven fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze. After nearly five hours of hectic efforts of firemen, the fire was put out.
The helipad where the Prime Minister’s chopper is slated to land is around 400 metre from the mishap site.
Notably, Pradhan was in the port town when the mishap occurred, He was in the town to oversee the preparations ahead of Modi’s visit.