Case against 3 firms for illegal import of hazardous petroleum products of Rs 1.4 cr

Thane, Oct 15 (PTI) An FIR has been registered against representatives of three Mumbai-based companies for alleged illegal import and transportation of hazardous petroleum products valued at more than Rs 1.4 crore, the Navi Mumbai police said on Tuesday.
    Based on a tip-off, the Customs authorities conducted a raid on the premises of an import company on July 12, Uran's assistant police inspector Shivaji Hulge said.

    The authorities found eight tankers containing a petroleum substance. Investigations suggested that three companies, handling the material, had falsely declared the liquid as "process oil 40", a non-flammable substance commonly used for manufacturing purposes.
    Subsequent testing confirmed the liquid was a highly flammable "petroleum hydrocarbon oil", which required special permits and stringent safety precautions for transportation, the official said.
     Despite being aware of the hazardous nature of the substance, the companies allegedly transported it without the required licenses, significantly endangering public safety, he said.

    The Uran police on Sunday registered an FIR against representatives of the three companies, based at Santacruz in Mumbai, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for negligent conduct regarding machinery and conspiracy.

     They are also been booked under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, Petroleum Act, Explosives Act, as well as violations of the High Speed Diesel Oil and Light Diesel Oil (Restriction on Use) Order 1974 and the Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution, and Prevention of Malpractices) Order 2005, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)