Fuel leaches from abandoned pump tank on Hazra Road

Kolkata: Residents on Hazra Road were scared and called for emergency help after they complained of oil seepage from an abandoned fuel pump, inactive for over two decades and located near Hazra intersection.According to locals, since Saturday, they could smell the oil and also see traces of the oil leaking around the area where the petrol pump once functioned before it was shut down in 2003. "The petrol pump was shut down after its 99-year lease expired in 2003. Since then, the area has been converted into a dump yard and is used by local residents to park cars. I also used to park my car here but stopped doing so over the past few days," said Harekrishna Chowdhury, a local and a driver by profession.Nantu Goswami, who lives in the building next to the property, said he was the first one to raise an alarm and informed local councillor Kajari Banerjee about the situation. "She was extremely helpful and reached here with the fire brigade, cops and KMC officials. They opened the underground tanks and found oil still stored in them. From Monday, they started removing barrels of oil from there using an oil pump. We feel scared imagining how we were living next to a potential fire hazard for so many years," said Goswami.TOI on Tuesday found cops had cordoned off the address at 136, Hazra Road, and a tree situated on the land was also chopped off to facilitate the removal of oil from the underground tanks.A senior official of the solid waste management department in KMC said they received a request from HPCL authorities, who used to operate the pump, to demolish the entire building where the alleged leakage occurred. "This matter will now be sent to the KMC buildings department to take a call," said the officer.(Inputs from Saikat Ray)
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