BHUBANESWAR: The Paradip-Haldia crude oil pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) refinery burst near the IOCL township in Paradip on Thursday afternoon triggering panic among people.
After the rupture, hundreds of litres of crude oil leaked out of the pipeline and spread to nearby farmlands in the area. Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot to plug the leakage to avoid a possible hazard. Technicians from IOC refinery have joined hands with Fire Service personnel to plug the leakage and restore normalcy.
“Right now we can’t say what caused the leak. Our men are at work. We will first suck in the crude oil that has leaked to prevent any untoward incident and later seal the leak. Right now it is difficult to tell the quantity of crude oil that has leaked since it is now mixed with water. We are requesting the public to restrict movement in this part of the road since petroleum vapour is in the air,” said Alok Sahoo chief general manager of the IOC Pipeline division in Paradip.
To avoid the occurrence of any untoward incident, the local administration has prohibited the movement of vehicles on a road near the spot of the incident with an aim to avoid any untoward incident.