A leaking pipeline carrying petrol to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) created a buzz in Korukkupet when residents rushed to collect drops of fuel on Sunday morning.
According to police, pipeline guards, who are actually policemen guarding the pipelines carrying fuel, noticed fuel leaking from the 14-inch pipe at around 4.30 am. Police said the leak was found in the pipeline running next to Korukkupet railway tracks, behind a private school at Karnesan Nagar. Police sources said pipeline guards informed BPCL authorities, who rushed to fix the leak.
When the authorities arrived, residents in the locality, noticing people near the pipeline, suspected a leak and rushed with bottles and pieces of cotton to mop up the petrol.
However, RK Nagar police arrived and dispersed the crowd. The leak was fixed by 7 am. Police sources here said authorities had cited corrosion of the pipe as the cause of the leak. “The pipe lies behind thorny bushes near the tracks; there was no way for anyone to reach it,” a police official said, ruling out sabotage.
A BPCL employee said petrol is transported from Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) at Manali to Indian Oil Corporation’s storage unit at Korukkupet via the pipeline, from where it reaches BPCL, at Tondiarpet.
This is the first time a leak is being reported on this pipeline and the hole was only of pinhole size, the employee added. “Usually, the life of a pipe is about 15 years; this particular pipe was around 13 years old. Regular checks, are conducted on the pipeline,” he said.
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