Fire during PM’s visit: police launch probe

Fire Services personnel trying to extinguish flames that engulfed a stock of plastic pipes near Tallayapalem village in Guntur district on May 2.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Police and the Fire Services departments have launched a probe into the two fires that broke out during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State on May 2.

Mr. Modi arrived at Gannavaram Airport around 3 p.m. that day and reached Velagapudi in Guntur district by air, where he restarted the Amaravati Capital works.

A fire broke out at an open place near Gannavaram Airport in Krishna district when the Prime Minister was about to land. The Gannavaram police registered a case on the fire mishap.

“Based on the complaint lodged by Village Revenue Officer (VRO) V. Kamala, we have registered a case and launched an investigation,” Inspector General of Police (IGP-Eluru Range) G.V.G. Ashok Kumar told The Hindu on Sunday.

Krishna Superintendent of Police R. Gangadhar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP-Gannavaram) Ch. Srinivas, Circle Inspector B.V. Shiva Prasad and experts from AP Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) visited the spot.

“We observed thick smoke near the airport when the Prime Minister was about to land, and alerted the fire authorities,” said Gannavaram Airport Director M. Lakshmikantha Reddy.

Second fire mishap

Later in the day, plastic pipes, believed to have been kept for laying underground electric cables near Tallayapalem village in Guntur district, caught fire when Mr. Modi’s programme was under way.

AP Fire Services Director-General Madireddy Pratap rushed to the spot, which was nearly 2 km away from the venue. Fire tenders from the nearby stations extinguished the flames in an hour.

“We don’t know the exact cause of the fire. The Fire Department will handover the case to the police for a thorough investigation,” Mr. Pratap said.

According to a group of villagers, a private company had dumped the plastic pipes in the open a few months ago for laying electric cable. “Thick smoke rose from the place, creating panic in the locality,” said a resident on condition of anonymity.

Guntur Superintendent of Police S. Satish Kumar visited the place in Tallayapalem village and inquired about the fire mishap. Forensic experts collected samples from the spot.