ONGC starts probe, repair work after fire in plant near Navi Mumbai

ONGC’s resident production supervisor and three Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans died in the massive fire.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) still has not been able to ascertain the reason for the explosion at its Uran plant on Tuesday morning, which claimed four lives.

Smoke billowed from a fire at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) gas processing plant in Uran area near Navi Mumbai, Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

The company’s resident production supervisor and three Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans died in the massive fire.

Senior officials visited and inspected the plant on Wednesday. Sonali Dutta, public relations officer of ONGC, said, “Our process is on to ascertain the reason behind the unfortunate accident that took place on Tuesday. Our senior officers inspected the plant, but the details are not enough to share with the media. We are going step by step.”

The ONGC started some repair work in the plant on Wednesday. Hemendra Singh, public relations officer of CISF, said, “We took the bodies of our jawans and sent them to their native places.”

“Our three other jawans, an inspector and two constables, who were injured in a private hospital at Uran. They are out of danger,” he said.

Atul Aher, inspector from Uran police station, said the situation was under control. “We did not allow vehicles to ply on the roads around the plant as repair work was going on.”

The police said there was no mass evacuation in the area on Tuesday. Jagdish Kulkarni, senior inspector of Uran police station, said, “Around 60 people, who live near the plant, were asked to move out for an hour after the incident. But, there was no mass evacuation. We used public announcement system to request the 2,500 residents of two villages to stay calm and not to leave their houses.”

Manohar Bhoir, local MLA from the area, said, “There were no people from the administration to evacuate villagers as precautionary measures. On seeing the massive fire, some people left their houses on their own, but they came back after sometime.”