Two technicians were testing bitumen on the day the mishap took place in the lab in the BBMP headquarters.
Credit: PTI File Photo
The BBMP plans to shift the office of the quality assurance cell to a new space, following the fire mishap that left nine people with serious burns. While the laboratory will continue to function from the existing premises, the staffers will be relocated to a new building in the premises of the BBMP head office, which is currently under construction.
On Wednesday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) also decided to engage private agencies to suggest measures to improve the functioning of the lab so that such instances do not occur again.
“We have approached three institutes, including the Public Works Department, which has a similar lab; BMS College of Engineering, and Rasta Centre for Road Technology for technical guidance,” BS Prahlad, who is in-charge of the probe, said.
During the preliminary investigation, Prahlad inspected the lab with two technicians who were testing the bitumen on the day the mishap took place. “Use of benzene to test the quality of bitumen is a standard practice. On the day of the mishap, there was a slippage of benzene, which is a highly inflammable and volatile chemical. This resulted in a heat wave,” Prahlad said.
He said not a single paper or any documents were destroyed during the mishap. “Other than the damage to the instruments, almost all plastic materials had melted, including the outer layers of bulbs and fans,” Prahlad said.
An internal inquiry by the BBMP is one among the three separate probes being initiated by the state government to get the true picture of the fire mishap.
Rs 10 lakh compensation
The BBMP Employees Association urged a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to all the nine injured staffers, who are currently being treated at Victoria Hospital. Of the nine, two are critical, but stable, doctors said.