No casualties in gas pipeline blaze in Telangana

A fire broke out in the Reliance Gas pipeline in Telangana's Medak district early on Monday due to gas leakage. But there were no casualties, police said. It took six hours to control the blaze.

The leak in the main line valve led to the fire in the pipeline in Maddigunta near Sadashivpet town, about 100 km from Hyderabad.

Reliance Gas Transportation Infrastructure Ltd (RGTIL), a part of the Mukesh Ambani-led group, said there was no loss of life or injuries to anyone.

Superintendent of Police B. Sumathi said they evacuated 150 people from a colony near the pipeline.

A fire fighting team of RGTIL and police controlled the blaze.

Police said it took them six hours to control the fire and gas leakage from the pipeline, which goes to Bharuch in Gujarat from the RGTIL gas plant at Kakinada in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.

Police believe a crack in a main valve might have led to the gas leak and fire.

Sumathi said RGTIL officials from Mumbai informed police after being alerted through their centralised alarm system.

A special maintenance team from RGTIL stopped the gas flow by closing two valves at Zaheerabad and Patancheru in the same district to reduce the pressure.

"Our experts immediately reached the war room as well as the site of fire. The fire has been controlled by safely evacuating and cordoning off that section of the pipeline," an RGTIL spokesman said in a statement in Mumbai.

"After an internal investigation, normal gas flow to the downstream customers will be resumed. Reduction or interruption of gas flow to the downstream customers is expected to last for a period of about 24 to 48 hours," the statement added.