A fire broke out in a refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Rajasthan’s Baltora district on Monday (April 20, 2026) afternoon, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to inaugurate it.
Confirming the incident, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said that the fire took place in the vicinity of the crude distillation unit of the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) refinery. Consequently, it added, the inauguration has been postponed.
“Due to an unfortunate fire incident today in the vicinity of the crude distillation unit at the HRRL refinery, the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Honourable Prime Minister on April 21 has been postponed,” the Ministry said on social media. “A revised date for the dedication will be announced in due course.”
The Ministry confirmed that there have been no reports of any causalities, and an investigation has been ordered to ascertain the cause and suggest remedial measures. It stated that the fire has been bought under control.
Due to an unfortunate fire incident today in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit at the HRRL refinery, the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 21.04.2026 has been postponed.
