Delhi team probes Haldia refinery fire amid protests

Haldia:

Workers

staged a protest outside Indian Oil Corporation’s Haldia

refinery

on Wednesday, demanding that accountability be fixed without delay for Tuesday’s

fire

that left three dead and several injured. A high-level committee from Delhi is already here to inquire into the incident.

The refinery is under extra CISF cover and entry is strictly prohibited. Police superintendent Amarnath K said a

forensic

team had visited the site. “Safety experts from Delhi are probing the case. We are investigating too. If any negligence is ascertained, an FIR will be initiated and legal steps taken.”

The

IOC

issued a statement that read: “Family members of the three contract workers who unfortunately lost their lives were contacted to extend all possible support in this hour of grief. Among those with injuries, three contract workers were discharged after preliminary treatment and thirty-eight others admitted to multi-speciality hospitals in Kolkata for advanced medical care.”

The statement further indicated that IOC’s senior management was continuously monitoring the situation and all necessary assistance, including adequate compensation, would be offered.

State irrigation minister Soumen Mahapatra, who visited the plant, said most workers were from Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Bihar. “Among the deceased, two are from Maharashtra and one from Bihar. The condition of seven is critical; they have sustained more than 70% burns. Indian Oil is extending all possible help. It has been decided that the kin of each deceased will receive Rs 10 lakh as compensation,” he added.

Medica hospital in Kolkata, where 10 workers with 15-25% burns are being treated, has formed a medical board comprising plastic surgeons, senior critical care consultants and pulmonologists. The injured are being kept at a specialised burns ICU, with a dedicated clinical and nursing team monitoring them round the clock.

All the 17 workers at Desun have facial region burns, the hospital said in a statement.


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