A major fire destroyed the vacuum gas oil treating unit of the Guru Gobind Singh petroleum refinery in Phulokhari village of Bathinda district. While no loss of human life has been reported, the incident has caused major concern among residents of nearby villages.
According to reports, a blast occurred in the VGO unit early morning, leading to a fire, whose flames climbed up to about 40 feet.
The blast was heard five kilometers away and the debris fell in the fields and houses of the residents of Phulokhari and Kanakwal villages.
As news of the fire spread, the Bathinda district Deputy Commissioner, Basant Garg, police chief Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and other officers of the district administration rushed to the spot. Eighteen fire tenders battled for about four hours to douse the flames.
The refinery’s managing director, Prabh Das, said while the affected VGO unit was shut down, other sections of the refinery were functioning normally. A statement issued in Bathinda said while the fire was brought under control within an hour, some residual oil was allowed to burn for a while.
Though a sudden increase in pressure was being stated as the possible cause for the blast, the management has instituted a probe.
The Rs 19,000-crore facility is a joint venture of the public sector Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Mittal Energy Investment, owned by international steel magnate, Laxmi Niwas Mittal. While these companies own 49 per cent share each in the refinery that has a capacity to produce 180,000 barrels a day, the remaining two per cent stake is held by various financial institutions.
Following a similar incident in 2013, the residents of the nearby villages have been demanding resettlement at a “safer” place.
