The Travancore Titanium Products Ltd. (TTP) at Kochu Veli on Saturday placed two employees under suspension and issued show-cause notices to two others in connection with the furnace oil leakage from the plant premises into the coast.
Eugene M., section operator, and Gladwin B., senior process operator, were suspended pending inquiry, the TTP said in a statement. The company management further said that show-cause notices have been issued to Hylan T.S., acting process supervisor, and Biby P. Paul, plant manager (production).
The action was taken on the basis of an internal inquiry, the TTP said. Approximately 5,000 litres of furnace oil had leaked from a ruptured pipeline on Wednesday morning. A large quantity of oil had spilled into the coast via a drain, triggering environmental concerns and large-scale protests by the local people.
Panel to probe
The State government undertaking is yet to restart operations after the mishap. The Industries Department had constituted a three-member panel to investigate the oil leak.
On the basis of directions issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB), the TTP had cleared away most of the oil-contaminated sand from the beach over Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, the company could not clear the remaining traces of the spillage directly outside the discharge point of the drain on Saturday too, apparently due to continuing local protests.
The PCB Chairman, who had visited the TTP on Friday, had issued directions to the management to clear away all traces of the oil from the beach. The local people had sealed the mouth of the drain on Thursday night.
