Catastrophe averted, oil racket
busted
Sandesh Prabhudesai
12 July 2002
While a major catastrophe being averted,
sudden blasts and catching fire near oil storage tanks
in the port town of Vasco has unearthed a pilferage
racket, supposedly run in connivance with the concerned
officials of the port and oil authorities in Goa.
Fortunately, the fire was brought under
control immediately, failing which the whole port town
would have been converted into ashes as not less than
30 huge oil storage tanks are situated between the harbour
and the tiny town of Vasco.
The whole port town was emptied within
15 minutes today morning when people heard series of
blasts followed by fire near the oil tanks. Fearing
bursting of oil tanks, situated in the town, people
started running helter skelter.
The fire at three places between the
oil ship that was unloading the high grade oil and the
Indian Oil Corporation was put off by summoning almost
10 fire tenders from all over the state. "If not, the
ship as well as the oil tanks could also catch fire",
said I D Shukla, the South Goa SP.
While investigating into the cause
of the fire, the police however found a PVC pipeline
with an illegally attached safety valve from a midpoint
of the main downloading pipeline that was heading on
the road outside the compound wall of the Mormugao Port
Trust.
While filing case of theft, arson,
and even attempt to murder against unknown persons,
the police have also arrested one Longuinho Joseph Fernandes,
in whose house some oil cans and gauging equipment was
found across the road, where the illegally tapped pipe
line ends.
"It cannot be operated without connivance
of the concerned officials, including the IOC, the MPT
and the CISF that is looking after the security services",
states Shukla. He suspects that the pilferage racket
is on for over a year.
The police were alerted last midnight
when the area started smelling of oil, but the supervisory
staff claimed that it was being taken care of by flushing
water. The truth however came to light when sudden blasts
caught fire in three places in the morning.
The illegally laid down PVC pipeline
with a diameter of around 2.5 inches runs through under
two roads and even a railway track. As one electric
pole is also installed here on its way, the police suspect
that the short circuit could be the cause of the fire.
Arun Singh, the CISF assistant commandant,
is also personally probing into any security lapses
on their part. The police however are certain that the
whole illegal operation cannot take place without the
security personnel, the MPT as well as IOC officials
conspiring.
Besides the IOC, the port town also
contains storage tanks belonging to the HP and the BP.
A long-pending proposal to shift all the tanks on a
plateau outside the port town is still under consideration.
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