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| Midday Mumbai- Mar 23, 2000 |
| SSCL averts major disaster |
| Major gas tragedy averted near Chennai |
| By Our Correspondent |
| CHENNAI, March 23. Manali, a satellite township of Chennai, was saved from a major gas tragedy last Saturday owing to timely action taken by police, revenue and health officials. |
| Seventy-six barrels of methanol chlorine, an unstable chemical, was imported from the United States-based PPG Industries by the Hyderabad-based Aravind Pharmaceuticals. |
| While lying unclaimed in Chennai, the chemical started festering, solidifying and leaking a dangerous chlorinated ferrous compound of methanol. |
| Aravind Pharmaceuticals was alerted eight days ago of the development by customs officials. They, in turn, alerted the PPG Industries, who sent a special team to neutralise the compound. |
| The US team, headed by David Stermol and Kevin Reynold arrived on Saturday and were trying to neutralise the chemicals quietly. |
| However, by evening, the information reached Chengalpattu Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gandhirajan. Following some quick investigation, Gandhirajan contacted Chennai-based chemical experts Ramanujam and Sethuraman of Sanmar Speciality Chemicals Ltd. With their assistance, the chemical was neutralised. |
| The dangerous compound was covered with ice blocks and sodium carbonate mixture, said Ramanujam. |
| Police said the chemicals were stored in a godown owned by a Chennai-based businessman, Vishal, at Manali, which is the storage point of many imported chemicals. |
| Gandhirajan called an urgent meeting of chemical experts and it was decided that the compound barrels will be carried in huge containers covered with ice to the dumping yard at Alathur near Tiruporur. But the news of the leak spread and panic among the people forced cops to get ready to evacuate Manali. |
| However, Indian engineers took stock of the matter and the chemicals were neutralised before any harm was done. |
| Police said that if the gas leakage had not been detected in time, around 2,000 people residing within a radius of three km would have been killed. |
| Chengalpattu district police has deputed a special team to investigate into the details of other hazardous chemicals stored in Manali. |
| Though a case has not been registered, the State Government has ordered an inquiry. |
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