Barmer, May 3 -- Congress MP from Barmer Ummeda Ram Beniwal on Saturday blamed serious technical flaws, negligence, and substandard materials for the massive fire at Pachpadra Refinery, rejecting Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited's (HPCL) assessment of a hydrocarbon leak. In a post on X, Beniwal shared a news report on the incident that alleged that substandard steel and inexperienced engineers were the reason behind the fire. "The investigation report has also brought to light that the use of cheap and substandard carbon steel, the failure of the automatic safety valve, non-compliance with SOPs, the appointment of inexperienced engineers, and the disregard for safety standards were the reasons that gave birth to this major accident," he said. A unit of the refinery, operated by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL), caught fire around 2:00 pm on April 20-a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate the project. According to HPCL's assessment report, the blaze originated in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) due to a hydrocarbon leakage in the heat exchanger circuit. Engineers at the site said friction between machinery during testing sparked the fire, which quickly escalated. Thick plumes of smoke and flames were visible from several kilometres away. In an official statement, HPCL had said, "With reference to the unfortunate fire incident that occurred on April 20, 2026, in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) of HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL). detailed investigations have confirmed that the fire was localised in the heat exchanger stack impacting only six exchangers and their supporting equipment." It added, "Based on circumstantial evidence, the cause of the fire is suspected to be leakage from a pressure gauge tapping point on the vacuum residue exchanger inlet line." However, Beniwal termed the incident not just an accident but a reflection of systemic failure at both state and central level. He demanded a fair, transparent investigation into the fire and the entire project, plus strict legal action against responsible officials and contractors. "Even before the investigation report arrived, I had raised questions after the accident-and even before it-on all these issues, including the use of substandard construction materials, flaws in the safety systems, and the role of inexperienced companies. But instead of making timely improvements, the government and the Petroleum Ministry ignored these warnings," Beniwal said. He noted the fire's timing, just a day before Modi's scheduled inauguration on April 21, which was postponed as a result. He stressed accountability for the loss to national assets and measures to prevent such incidents in critical infrastructure projects. Earlier, HPCL had said restoration work is underway and expected to finish within three to four weeks, with the CDU restart anticipated in the second fortnight of May 2026. Trial production of key products such as LPG, petrol (MS) and diesel (HSD), likely to begin within May. BJP spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said, "Our government has formed a committee to probe the matter. We are also cooperating with NIA. Necessary action will be taken against the ones whose negligence caused it."...