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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No confusion in BJP-JD(S) alliance: Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday dismissed speculation over confusion in the BJP-JD(S) alliance, asserting that there was clarity within them and that discussions on the chief minister post were premature.
Addressing reporters at the party's state office, JP Bhavan, after chairing a preparatory meeting for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections, he said the immediate priority was to remove what he termed an "anti-people government" in the state and to strengthen the alliance to face upcoming polls.
"This is not the time to discuss who should become the chief minister. There is still time for that. If we speak about it now, it would be like stitching the cradle even before the baby is born," Kumaraswamy said, underlining that leadership questions would be taken up at an appropriate time.
The JD(S) second-in-command said there is still a lot of work to be done and it was not appropriate to speak about such matters now.
"On the issue of alliance, both I and our party are open-minded. When the time comes, we will discuss it on the party platform and take a decision. There is no confusion regarding the alliance, and there will be no confusion in the future. This is my stand," Kumaraswamy said.
"There is a bad government in the state. My objective is to remove it and bring in a pro-people government. Removing this corrupt and bad government is my agenda. The JD(S) and BJP parties will work together to accomplish this task," he added.
Reiterating his stand, Kumaraswamy said, "My objective is to remove the anti-people government in the state. I have been saying this from the beginning."
On reports of internal differences over the alliance and the CM's position, the union minister said he would not respond to every statement made by individuals.
"Some people are speaking about the alliance and the chief minister's position. I do not feel the need to respond to them. If I start answering each of them, people may think I lack maturity. Therefore, I will not speak about it. We will strengthen the alliance together, face the elections together, and bring a pro-people government," he said.
Kumaraswamy added that discussions within parties were natural and not final.
He said there were still two years left for the Assembly elections while there were four to five months left for the local body elections.
The union minister said the JD(S) is also preparing for the municipal elections in Bengaluru city just as other parties.
He clarified that there had been no discussions so far between the two parties specifically on local body or GBA elections.
Earlier, the JD(S) leader chaired a meeting with Members of the Legislative Council, former MLAs and other leaders of his party to review preparations for the GBA elections.
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