The government has ordered a safety audit of all oil and gas installations across the country by 31st of next month. The move follows massive fire at the Indian Oil Corp's fuel depot in Jaipur which is raging even five days after it broke out.The decision was taken at a meeting called by Petroleum Minister Murli Deora to review safety measures in oil installations with top experts from the public, private and multi-nationals firms participating.<br/>He said after the special safety audit, all oil and gas installations will have their safety audits done on a quarterly basis. Mr. Deora said that all oil and gas companies in the country must have their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for operations and maintenance practices. <br/>The Petroleum Ministry has also sanctioned 50 crore rupees as immediate relief for the affected units. AIR correspondent Anurag Vajpayee reports from Jaipur that the fire is still continuing in two tanks of the IOC depot. <br/>Meanwhile, A team from the National Institute of Disaster Management, NIDM, will be shortly visiting Jaipur to ascertain whether the existing guidelines to prevent the disaster were followed or not. The team will also see what steps needed to be taken for the safety of the oil wells as well as the impact of the fire on the environment and people . The Executive Director of NIDM, P.G. Dhar Chakravarty said, the team will come out with the preliminary report on their findings soon after the visit.<br/>
News On AIR | November 3, 2009 8:42 PM
Govt. orders safety audit of all oil & gas installations in the country