Thursday’s fire accident at the godown of a logistics firm catering to automaker Renault Nissan has reinforced the need for a fire station in Oragadam.
Though no one was injured, there was extensive damage to property. Goods valued at more than Rs. 60 crore were damaged in the fire accident, the police said.
Till Friday evening, no case was registered at Oragadam police station as company officials did not file a complaint, a policeman said.
Officers of the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) department described as ‘invaluable’ the support lent by some firemen from private companies on Thursday.
According to a resident of Vallam village, where the accident happened, a fire tender from Sriperumbudur reached the spot nearly an hour after the fire broke out. By that time, a lot of damage was already done.
Oragadam has emerged as an industrial hub and is now home to global automobile companies such as Renault Nissan and Daimler, as well as the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (Natrip).
The town is yet to get its own fire station, however. On Thursday, fire tenders from Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chennai were pressed into service to put out the fire at the godown.
According to a worker, several unskilled people are employed in the godowns that store highly inflammable raw material. Many of them lack basic knowledge of fire-fighting, he said.
An official of TNFRS said a thorough safety audit of the other industrial units in Oragadam would be done soon. However, the overall preparedness of the industrial units and the measures taken by them to handle fire-related accidents were satisfactory, he said.
A proposal to set up a fire station in Oragadam is pending with the State government. There are also plans to upgrade the fire station in Sriperumbudur, which has only one vehicle.
Meanwhile, a statement from Renault Nissan said the fire accident at the godown would not, in any way, hamper assembly-line operations.
