Dibrugarh: Oil India Limited (OIL) has suspended four personnel at its facility in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, including three officers and one employee, for alleged “dereliction in discharging official duties”, company spokesperson Prankush Malla Buzarbaruah said.
The action comes after an explosion and fire at OIL’s Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) in Tengakhat, Dibrugarh district, on Friday, which claimed three lives and left four others critically injured.
The death toll rose to three on Saturday after Rupam Gohain, a resident of Tengakhat, succumbed to his burn injuries while undergoing treatment at Nemcare Hospital in Guwahati.
Gohain was initially admitted to Oil India Hospital in Duliajan following the incident on November 6. He was later shifted to Guwahati for advanced medical treatment due to the severity of his injuries.
Earlier, two persons had died in the incident. One of them was engineer Tapas Jyoti Gogoi, who was employed by Spectron Engineering Pvt. Ltd. He succumbed to his burn injuries at a private hospital in Dibrugarh. Another person also died following the explosion and fire.
Meanwhile, OIL has announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh each for those injured in the incident.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal visited the injured admitted to Ashtha Hospital in Dibrugarh on Saturday. He also spoke over the telephone with OIL Chairman and Managing Director at the company’s headquarters in Duliajan to review the situation.
During the conversation, Sonowal urged the company to ensure proper medical care for all the injured and take immediate necessary measures. He also called for compensation for the families of those who died and a high-level inquiry by the concerned authorities to determine the cause of the explosion and fire.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal are closely monitoring the developments.
Investigations are underway to establish the circumstances that led to the explosion and subsequent fire.