TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: A major fire completely gutted an alkyl phenol manufacturing factory at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate on Monday morning, destroying property worth Rs two crore.
This is second incident wherein a factory in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate has been gutted by fire within the last one month and half. Ms Metroplast had gone up in smoke on January 18 this year in a fire incident.
The incident occurred in the wee hours of Monday. Fire officer Gill De Souza told Herald that the factory Rajashree Specialist Chemicals was manufacturing alkyl phenol. “Preliminary information revealed that the factory was manufacturing alkyl Phenol with caustic flakes, acid and a catalyst as raw material,” he said, adding “when we rushed to the Industrial estate after receiving a call at around 7 am, the factory was engulfed in huge flames,” he said.
Given that the factory management was not found around to find out what was being manufactured at the factory, the fire personnel sprayed water, but later used 14 cans of foam, each containing 20 liters, after they realized that it was a chemical factory.
Fire tenders from Margao and Curchorem fought the fire for over two hours and managed to save property worth Rs one core. The fire services had also called the fire tender from Canacona to join the fire fighting operations.
Gill said the firemen succeeded in saving finished products stored outside the factory premises in 110 cans.
The exact cause behind the fire remains unknown. Gill said the two labourers who were working in the unit have attributed the fire to power fluctuations. He, however, said that no firm opinion can be given on the exact cause of the incident as the entire premises caught fire.
…while queries into first one still remain
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: After dilly dallying for some time, Cuncolim Police have finally booked the management of Ms Metroplast Industries for the January 18 fire in the factory.
But till date none of the authorities have come clear over the manufacturing process employed in the factory at the time of the incident and whether the goods were manufactured as per the IDC order for the allotment of plot.
Cuncolim PI Raju Raut Dessai said that the police action came into play only if there was negligence or rash act on the part of the management. “We have booked the persons concerned for the fire accident. What was being manufactured in the plant and whether the management had complied with the IDC’s order is a subject matter for concerned departments to investigate,” PI Raut said.
The fire incident in Ms Metroplast on January 18 had kicked up a row of sorts after fire services maintained that the factory was engaged in heating an oily substance to extract oil, even as the IDC documents showed that the factory was allotted the plot to manufacture plastic bottles and barrels.
The mystery remained unresolved till date with none of the authorities coming out clear over the exact manufacturing activity inside Ms Metroplast before it was engulfed by fire.
