Gas leak at ONGC well in Andhra sparks inferno, four-km radius evacuated
Mori (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): A gas leak at an ONGC well here in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district operated by its production contractor sparked an inferno on Monday, leading to the evacuation of two villages within a four-km radius.
However, no deaths or casualties have been reported so far, an official of the Maharatna public sector company said.
"The fire occurred due to a gas pipeline leakage at the Mori-5 well, which is operated by Deep Industries Ltd as part of production enhancement operations," an ONGC official told PTI.
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Residents of neighbouring Irusumanda and Lakkavaram villages were evacuated to safer locations.
The number of evacuees is not immediately available.
Around 10 fire tenders are currently at the site battling the fire.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inquired about the fire accident and directed officials to prioritise dousing the flames.
Following the gas leak, senior officials of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) from Rajahmundry rushed to Well Mori-5 located in Malkipuram mandal to assess the situation and ascertain the cause of the fire.
The Konaseema district administration is also responding to the incident and coordinating the firefighting and safety measures at the site.
The district collector, superintendent of police, deputy collector and ONGC officials are monitoring the situation at a secretariat located 100 metres away from the inferno.
Initially, a thick white cloud of gas blanketed the surrounding paddy fields and coconut groves.
The gas eventually ignited, creating a towering inferno that could be seen across the Godavari River delta.
Videos of local police and the workers in orange, red and blue running for their lives went viral as a couple of fire tenders were seen nearby, according to PTI Videos.
The fire has broken out amidst newly planted rabi season paddy crops and palm trees. Thick smoke continued to billow over the agricultural heartland.
In a release, ONGC said, "An incident of gas leakage during workover operations at Well Mori-5 was reported by the PEC operator, Deep Industries Limited, at the Mori field."
The well is located in a remote area, with no human habitation within a radius of approximately 600 metres.
The affected area has been cordoned off, cooling operations have commenced, and ONGC has mobilised its Crisis Management Teams (CMT and RCMT), the oil and gas major said.
Preparatory work is underway to facilitate well control and, if required, capping of the well.
ONGC has also initiated coordination with international well-control specialists, the release said.
Mobilisation arrangements have been activated to support advanced well-control and casing-cutting operations, subject to site assessment.
ONGC's senior management and technical experts are closely monitoring the situation, while additional equipment is being mobilised from nearby locations, including Rustumbada village near Narsapuram in West Godavari district.
Deep Industries Ltd, a Production Enhancement Contractor (PEC) of ONGC, had secured a Rs 1,402-crore contract in 2024 for production enhancement operations at ONGC's Rajahmundry Asset in Andhra Pradesh, according to reports.
The company has been operating the Mori-5 well for about a year, the official said.
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Karnataka bypolls: BJP criticism driven by ‘fear of defeat’, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bagalkote (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the BJP’s criticism of the Congress government reflects a "fear of defeat" ahead of the April 9 bypolls.
He added that the state’s guarantee schemes are an investment in social commitment and inclusive development.
Speaking to reporters in Bagalkote, he expressed confidence that the Congress would win both bypoll-bound constituencies, adding that the campaign has received an unprecedented response, surpassing expectations.
The bypolls were necessitated by the demise of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, who represented the Davanagere South and Bagalkote constituencies, respectively.
"We have provided schemes for people belonging to all castes, religions, and languages. The BJP is opposing the guarantee schemes out of fear of defeat, but these guarantees are an investment that delivers social commitment. This, too, is development," Siddaramaiah said.
The guarantee schemes are ‘Shakti’, ‘Gruha Lakshmi’, ‘Gruha Jyoti’, ‘Yuva Nidhi’ and ‘Anna Bhagya’.
He added that development is not limited to physical infrastructure.
"Development does not mean only roads, bridges, and buildings. It also includes providing economic and social security," he said.
The CM stated that the BJP has opposed welfare measures since their inception and rejected claims that the state’s finances are under strain.
Referring to remarks by PM Narendra Modi and others, he said, "They (BJP leaders) have been claiming that the state will go bankrupt. However, guarantee schemes have been in force for the past three years, and till March 24, 2026, Rs 1.31 lakh crore has been spent on them." He maintained that spending on key sectors has not been curtailed.
"While Rs 42,000 crore was spent last year, more than Rs 44,000 crore is being spent this year," Siddaramaiah said, adding that expenditure on irrigation, public works, rural development, drinking water, policing, and SCSP/TSP schemes has not been reduced.
Development works have not slowed down, he added.
Accusing the BJP of running a smear campaign, Siddaramaiah said that allegations of excessive borrowing were "false propaganda".
"Saying that I have taken excessive loans is a blatant lie. We have not violated the norms of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and have maintained fiscal discipline," Siddaramaiah said.
Further, the CM advised BJP leaders to properly read the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
"The fiscal deficit should be within 3 per cent of GDP, and debt within 25 per cent of GDP. Our debt stands at 24.94 per cent, so it has not exceeded the limit," he said.
Stressing adherence to fiscal norms, he added that no state can borrow indiscriminately, as borrowing limits are fixed by the Union Finance Ministry.
He also claimed that Karnataka’s economic performance is stronger than that of the Centre.
Stating that the Centre’s GDP growth is 7.14 per cent while Karnataka’s is 8.1 per cent, Siddaramaiah said the state has outperformed the union government.
Drawing a comparison on public debt, he said that during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and cumulatively since Independence, total debt stood at Rs 53.11 lakh crore, which has risen to Rs 218 lakh crore by March 2026.
He alleged that in the past 12 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone has added Rs 165 lakh crore in debt.
The CM criticised the BJP’s track record in the state, saying it failed to deliver on its promises despite being in power for nine years.
"Out of 165 promises made in the Congress manifesto in 2013, 158 were fulfilled. The BJP has not even fulfilled 10 per cent of its promises. They should speak the truth before the people during elections instead of spreading lies," he said.
In addition, he urged the BJP to highlight its own achievements instead of criticising Congress.
"During my tenure, the quantity of rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme was increased, which the BJP government later reduced. It was the Congress-led central government that implemented the Food Security Act, the Right to Work, and the Right to Education," he said.
Taking a swipe at the opposition’s campaign strategy, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP had stooped to a low level by using expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for campaigning.
"They have resorted to such acts out of fear of defeat. We will not react to statements of the opposition; we will present the work of the government before the people," he added.
