Rajkot:

Around 2 lakh sacks of groundnut worth over Rs 35 crore procured by government from local farmers were burnt to ashes in a major fire in a go-down in Gondal of Rajkot.

District collector Vikrant Pandey has ordered a multi level inquiry of the incident which took place this evening and was yet not controlled completely.

Rajkot Fire Officer Mulu Parmar said that a total of 10 fire fighting vehicles from Rajkot, Dhoraji, Jetpur and Gondal with over 30 firemen were indulged in the fire fight operations which might continue whole night. Fortunately there were no reports of loss of life in the incident. He said that the reason behind the fire was not yet known.

Pandey on the other hand said that an FSL inquiry has been ordered to confirm whether it was a pure accident or an act of arson. The incident would be probed separately by the Rural SP and the Prant Officer also.

He said that approximately 2 lakh sacks of groundnut were kept in the godown.

The incident give rise to doubt as it has happened days after questions were raised about the mixing of soil in the groundnut sold to government agency at the Minimum support price.

Incidentally this is second incident of major fire in Rajkot district this month. Earlier in the night of January 12, 3 girls died and at least 13 others injured during a major incident of fire in a ‘Rashtrakatha’ camp near Pransala under Bhayavadar police station in the district.

DeshGujarat