Rajasthan: Massive Fire at Pachpadra Refinery a Day Before Inauguration, PM Modi's Program Postponed

Officials said that following the fire, the Prime Minister’s program has been postponed.According to initial reports, the fire occurred in the refinery’s ‘Crude Distillation Unit’. Officials stated that the fire caused chaos at the refinery, but there are no reports of any casualties.

Fire tenders took nearly two hours of intense effort to bring the blaze under control. Orders have been issued to investigate the matter. Officials mentioned that further information is awaited and an assessment of the damage is underway.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in a social media post, stated that the inauguration ceremony of the refinery has been temporarily postponed, and a new date will be announced later. There is no information of any casualties in this incident. Officials said that a detailed investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the fire.

Officials informed that the fire broke out near the refinery’s crude oil distillation unit, which created a situation of panic for some time. However, emergency teams acted promptly and brought the situation under control within a few hours. Due to this incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s proposed visit to the refinery on Monday was also cancelled. Officials said that the damage caused by the fire is being assessed.

 Ashok Gehlot termed the incident “extremely unfortunate” and said, “Pachpadra Refinery is a matter of pride for all Rajasthanis. Such an incident happening at this time is extremely unfortunate. I pray for everyone’s safety.”

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Tikaram Juli, called the incident “serious and concerning” and raised questions on the state government’s preparations before the event. He alleged that in the haste to organize the event, compromises were made on safety standards and there were also delays in the implementation of the project. He demanded an impartial investigation into the matter.

Prime Minister Modi was scheduled to inaugurate this refinery on Tuesday. His program was to dedicate India’s first new integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Pachpadra in Balotra to the nation.

An official statement had said that this project, with an investment of more than ?79,450 crore, is a significant achievement in the country’s energy and petrochemical sector. The project has been developed as a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Rajasthan Government. It will have an annual capacity of 9 million tonnes.