Dibrugarh: The toll in the explosion and fire at Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) at Tengakhat rose to six after another injured worker died at a private hospital in Dibrugarh on Tuesday night.Golap Dutta (58) had suffered burn injuries in the Nov 6 explosion and had been undergoing treatment since then. Earlier on Tuesday, another injured worker, Kumud Gogoi (38), also died.Of the seven workers injured in the explosion, six have now died. The only survivor, Indra Gogoi, was airlifted to New Delhi on Nov 9 for advanced medical treatment.Assam Rajya Sabha MP Terash Gowalla sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention and demanded an independent, high-level inquiry into the incident, besides adequate compensation for the victims’ families.In a letter dated Nov 7 to Prime Minister’s Office, Gowalla expressed concern over industrial safety measures and maintenance procedures at OIL installations. He urged the Centre to order an independent probe through a govt agency to establish the exact cause of the explosion and fix responsibility.“Considering the poor economic condition of the affected families and the gravity of the incident, I request your urgent intervention to ensure justice, adequate support and long-term security for the victims’ families,” he said in the letter to PM.The MP also sought immediate financial compensation for the bereaved families, free medical treatment for all injured workers until their complete recovery, and a comprehensive safety audit of OIL installations across the northeast.Gowalla also demanded compassionate employment for one eligible dependent of each deceased worker’s family, stating that the affected families belonged to economically weaker sections.The explosion occurred at 9.05 am on Nov 6 while workers were carrying out maintenance activities at the ITF. OIL’s preliminary assessment identified the Indirect Bath Heater area as the site of the blast. The area had been isolated for maintenance since Nov 4.
