Firefighters douse a blaze after a fire broke out at the HPCL Pachpadra Refinery in Balotra, Rajasthan on Monday (April 20). Photo: PTI
Fire at HPCL Pachpadra refinery in Rajasthan; inauguration by PM Modi postponed
Dozens of fire tenders from Balotra and nearby areas were rushed to the site, and the blaze was doused in around two hours, said officials
A fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Pachpadra, Rajasthan on Monday (April 20), just a day before its scheduled inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The scheduled dedication of the refinery by the prime minister on Tuesday (April 21) has been postponed, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said, adding that the new date will be announced in due course.
No reports of casualties
There were no reports of any casualties in the incident. Dozens of fire tenders from Balotra and nearby areas were rushed to the site, and the blaze was doused in around two hours, the officials said.
The fire started in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) section of the refinery, leading to chaos as emergency response teams moved in to contain the flames.
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Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's scheduled visit to the refinery today (Monday) was also cancelled, the officials said, adding that an assessment of the damage is underway.
"Due to an unfortunate fire incident today in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit at the HRRL refinery, the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on April 21, 2026, has been postponed. The fire has been brought under control and there are no reports of any casualties. An investigation has been initiated," the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on X.
‘Safety lapses’
The opposition Congress alleged that the incident showed "safety lapses".
"The Pachpadra refinery is a matter of pride for all Rajasthanis. The incident at such a time is extremely unfortunate. I pray for everyone's safety," former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said.
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Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Tika Ram Jully termed the incident "serious and concerning" and questioned the state government's preparedness ahead of the high-profile event. He alleged that the incident pointed to lapses in safety and accused the government of rushing the arrangements for the event. He also said there were "delays" in the project's execution.
About the project
The refinery is a joint venture between HPCL and the Rajasthan government and is India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex. It has a planned capacity of 9 million metric tonnes per annum, with commercial production expected to begin on July 1, 2026.
Built at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 80,000 crore, the refinery is expected to play a key role in boosting India’s energy security by reducing dependence on imports and strengthening domestic production. In addition to fuel, it will also produce a range of downstream petrochemical products.
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The project was first conceptualised in 2013, when its foundation stone was laid by Sonia Gandhi during the tenure of the Ashok Gehlot-led government, with an initial cost estimate of Rs 37,230 crore. It was later relaunched by Prime Minister Modi in 2018 with a revised cost of Rs 43,129 crore.
(With agency inputs)