E-Paper
Leak in ONGC underground gas pipeline in Tamil Nadu
The leak occurred in an ONGC underground gas pipeline at a village near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
A leak occurred in an ONGC underground gas pipeline at a village near Kumbakonam on Sunday.
After the leak was noticed in the morning at Mathirimangalam near here, ONGC shut the gas well that feeds the line and the leak was rectified by night, officials said.
Villagers expressed concern over the leak in the gas pipeline.
Police personnel have been posted at the village as a precautionary measure, police said.
When contacted, a local ONGC official said there was not “much leak.” Only “slight leakage occurred,” he added.
“It occurred at 8.30 am and immediately, the gas well that feeds fuel to that pipeline was shut,” he told PTI.
The ONGC’s gas extraction well is in operation for a long time and located close to Mathirimangalam.
The pipeline that developed leak was carrying gas from this well through Mathirimangalam village to the ONGC Gas Collection Station at Kuthalam near here.
Asked what could have caused the leak, the official said there “may have been some defect.”
“We have cut that leaking line and a new pipeline is welded now and there is no problem at all,” the official said adding the rectification work had been completed.
To a question, he said for quite sometime, ONGC had been requesting the permission of land owners in the village (ROU-Right of Use) to replace this pipeline since it had become old. However, they did not get their permission.
The incident comes after a similar leak in an ONGC oil pipe line at Kathiramangalam village also near here recently, which triggered prolonged protests by the locals.
