Fire breaks out at MRPL waste treatment plant in Surathkal
Surathkal: A fire accident was reported at the waste treatment plant of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) on Tuesday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred around 11 am during welding work near the petroleum waste treatment facility at the Phase-3 unit between Jokatte and Bajpe. During the welding operation, a spark reportedly struck a pipe connected to the waste treatment plant, triggering an explosion.
Police said the spark hit a treatment tank with a capacity of about 10,000 litres, causing it to explode. Employees working a few feet away from the site escaped unhurt after hearing the loud explosion.
Following the incident, all entry and exit gates of MRPL in Bajpe, Jokatte and Surathkal areas were closed, and restrictions were imposed on the movement of vehicles and people.
Fire tenders from MRPL visited the spot and carried out firefighting operations for about two hours to bring the situation under control.
While hot work is usually carried out only after ensuring that no petroleum waste is released into processing units, residents of Jokatte alleged that wastewater discharge led to the incident and expressed outrage, accusing MRPL of negligence and irresponsibility.
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Karnataka caste survey report likely to be submitted by April-end, says Minister Tangadagi
Bengaluru: The report of the caste survey conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes is in the final stages of compilation and is likely to be submitted to the state government by the end of April, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said.
Tangadagi said the Commission is currently analysing the collected data. “Based on its findings, recommendations will be made to the government,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
The latest Socio-Economic and Educational Survey was conducted between September and October last year, making it the second such exercise commissioned by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his two terms in office.
On the implementation of the survey report, which was one of the assurances in the Congress manifesto, Tangadagi reportedly said that it would be implemented once it is submitted to the government. “We are hopeful that it will be submitted to the government by the end of March or early April,” he said.
Earlier, the government had expected the Commission to submit the report by the end of February.
The 2025 survey was commissioned after the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government decided to scrap the findings of a caste enumeration exercise carried out in 2015 under former Commission chairman H Kantharaj. The government had stated that the data from the earlier survey had become outdated, making its recommendations difficult to implement.
However, there had been speculation that the findings were dropped owing to pressure from dominant communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
The survey carried out last year was marred by protests from a section of teachers who objected to carrying out the survey. Mid-term school vacations were also extended for schools to allow teachers to complete enumeration. The latest survey covered around 6.14 crore people, compared to 5.98 crore people covered in the previous exercise.
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