Fire breaks out in Mangaluru SEZ firm

Mangaluru: On Saturday, Mangaluru reported a fire accident at a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) company under Bajpe station limits. Police officials said that the fire broke out following an explosion and no casualties reported.

Thick smoke covered the area following the explosion. Sources from the company, Catasynth Specialty Chemicals at MSEZ Limited, where the fire broke out, said there were no casualties. Mangaluru police said it's difficult to estimate the loss at this juncture.

According to reports, fire tenders from the Kadri fire station of the Karnataka Fire Department, New Mangalore Port Trust, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers, and HPCL were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. The fire was doused by evening. The cause of the fire is yet to be established and an investigation is underway.

Reacting to the incident, DCP Hariram Shankar said "petroleum byproducts are produced at the company." The company is situated near Permude. Due to the lockdown, many workers were on leave. Hence, there were no casualties, said sources from the company.

Catasynth Speciality Chemicals Pvt Ltd operates a greenfield facility in Mangaluru, manufacturing catechol-based products such as Methylenedioxybenzene, Piperonal, Helional and Piperonyl Butoxide.

Set up in 2006 and spread across 1600 acres around 15 km from Mangaluru city, the SEZ is jointly promoted by government entities like the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) and companies like Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS).