Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily has expressed shock over the loss of eight lives in a fire that raged parts of Perne after an LPG tanker overturned on Tuesday. He said oil companies had been instructed to open a quick response centre (QRC) in Gundia to deal with such incidents.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, he said the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, whose gas the tanker was transporting, would be directed to provide “maximum assistance for construction of houses and shops, treatment of the injured and assistance to the families of the victims.” Mr. Moily added that the proposal to create a QRC at Gundia, which had been pending, will be implemented at the earliest.
“I have instructed oil companies to immediately take up the matter in consultation with the district administration,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Red Cross Society, Dakshina Kannada, has estimated the damage to houses and shops nearby in the fire at Rs. 1.03 crore.
Considering that the accident has damaged the property of 12 persons, with three being among the dead, and shops damaged, the society has asked HPCL, to give Rs. 25 lakh to be given as compensation to the kin of the deceased, and between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh depending on the condition of the injured, said a release.
The report details damage to shops, annual loss of income due to the destruction of the shops, crops damaged and portions of the house charred due to the fire.
Muneer Katipalla, district secretary of Democratic Youth Federation of India, has said the onus of disbursing compensation lies with HPCL and Mangalore Refinery and Petroleum Limited (MRPL), where the tanker was refilled. “The company has not implemented the required safety measures to prevent the accident. Apart from damages, the companies should also ensure employment to the families of the deceased,” the DYFI leader said in a press release.issued on Wednesday.
