Rajasthan chief secretary meets HPCL chairman over refinery blaze

Jodhpur: Rajasthan Chief Secretary V Srinivas held a discussion with HPCL chairman on Tuesday morning regarding the fire that occurred on Monday in an oil refinery in Pachpadra.

"Detailed discussions will be held regarding yesterday's incident in a meeting today at the refinery," the chief secretary told reporters in Jodhpur.

Also Read: PM Modi to inaugurate India's 1st greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochem complex in Rajasthan


He halted in Jodhpur before leaving for the refinery to take stock of the situation. CM Bhajanlal Sharma is also scheduled to visit the refinery and hold meetings with officials there on Tuesday.

Srinivas, who is overseeing the issue, left for the site along with a team of officials.

Speaking to reporters before departure, Srinivas said he would review the situation on the ground and hold detailed discussions with authorities concerned.

He said the state government is taking the incident seriously and monitoring every aspect closely.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal will also reach Pachpadra, where a comprehensive review of the incident will be conducted.

A fire broke out at the Pachpadra refinery in Rajasthan's Balotra district on Monday, a day before its scheduled inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following the incident, the PM's scheduled visit was postponed.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot and it took two hours to douse the flames.

The fire broke out in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) section of the refinery, leading to some chaos within the premises as emergency response teams moved in to contain the situation. The incident raised concerns over safety arrangements at the site ahead of the high-profile event.