One person was killed one injured in a pipeline blast due to a Greater Chennai Corporation’s Bio-CNG gas plant, Chinnasekkadu, Madhavaram Manali Road on Saturday night.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

An explosion within the biogas plant of the Greater Chennai Corporation late on Saturday night resulted in the death of one lab technician, while another seriously injured and admitted to Government Stanley Hospital.

A senior official of the City police said the Greater Chennai Corporation operates a bio-gas plant in Baljipalayam in Chinna Sekkadu of Manali for producing biogas from the waste generated in Manali. On Saturday night, Bhaskaran and Saravanakumar, who were working as lab technicians and residing in Tsunami quarters, were engaged in finishing the job in the plant. 

The duo was working in the panel board room where biogas would be produced. When they were preparing to shut down the machines, a machine exploded along with a gas pipe. In the explosion a fire engulfed the office, leading to the collapse of the wall. Saravanakumar who was standing near the wall was trapped in the rubble and was killed, while Baskaran was seriously injured, police said. 

According to GCC sources, the incident took place at 10 p.m. and a team of officials along with ambulances and police assembled at the plant around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday as soon as they received information regarding the blast. “The electricity was shut down immediately. The families of both the affected persons were notified. Further probe is underway,” an official said.

“The explosion took place in the SCADA [Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] room or the control room. The reasons could have been the air conditioning or the digital panel board. But usually, air conditioning may not cause such a huge explosion and thick smoke. The police are looking into the matter,” a GCC official said.

He said it was a biogas to CNG conversion plant of the Chennai Corporation. “There was no fire found to be from the CNG gas filling stations, storage or transfer units,” a senior official in the GCC stated.

Tiruvottiyur MLA K.P. Shankar, along with senior police personnel of the Avadi Police Commissionerate held talks with the people who started a protest on Sunday after the explosion. 

Chennai Mayor R.Priya said the cause is yet to be identified. “Once it is ascertained, the issues will be addressed with the third party to which the plant’s operations have been outsourced,” she said.