Sindri, Sept. 14: The closure of Fertiliser Corporation of India plant here has fuelled a new kind of fear.

Residents feel that the fertiliser town is sitting on a powder keg and a Bhopal-like gas tragedy might happen any moment. Fears of gas leak have surpassed the trauma of the closure. “If the management does change its attitude, Sindri might go the Bhopal way,’’ alleged residents.

Though the general manager of the plant, Vishwanath Prasad Shrivastava, ruled out the gas leak theory, he admitted that the highly inflammable methanol was yet to be flushed out of the pipeline by separating it from air.

Air separation units, he added, would be introduced by the month-end. After transferring the methanol to storage tanks, the pipeline would be filled with liquid nitrogen to avoid explosions caused by combustion.

The FCI plant has been shut since March 16. Engineers said it was essential for all chemical plants to “preserve” the pipelines and towers, if they remain non-functional for a long time.

According to them, the process includes cleaning of pipelines with high-pressure water and air and then filling these up with chemicals to prevent oxidation or combustion.

“In a fertiliser plant, ammonia itself is a confirmed preservative against combustion. The pipeline was preserved on time. Ammonia has already been separated. We do not know how long will the plant remain shut. When plant was closed on March 16 due to shortage of raw material and other items, methanol was not separated anticipating that production will soon begin. Now that the closure is official, preservation will begin by the month-end. We also have adequate safety measures to fight accidental fires,” Shrivastava said.

“He is telling half-truths,” alleged Fertiliser Factory Officers’ Association general secretary Suresh Roy. “I agree that preservation has been done and we are regularly checking the condition of the pipeline. But, are there any set norms for preservation? Leakage-induced corrosion is a big menace in the chemical plants if they are non-functional.” he asked.

“Today we are looking after this plant. But what will happen after we leave this place? The government is bent upon driving us out. In the absence of proper care, if ammonia starts leaking due to rise in pressure, it will suffocate people. What arrangements have been made for safe storage of methanol?” Roy wondered.

“The Bhopal gas tragedy occurred under similar circumstances. The Union Carbide plant had been closed for more than six months. Since there was no one to look after the plant, it led to the leakage of Methyl Iso-Cyanate and other poisonous gases,” said officers’ association president Y.P. Mehta.