Khanna Paper Mills inferno causes Rs 150-crore loss
A major fire at the Amritsar-based newsprint manufacturer, Khanna Paper Mills, has reportedly cost the company a loss of approximate Rs 150-crore.
16 Jun 2012 | 9762 Views | By Supreeth Sudhakaran
Confirming the news, Suneet Kochar, director, Khanna Paper Mills said, “The infrastructure and paper machines have been badly affected. All the paper machines have been shut down and it will take at least 10 to 15 days to resume the operations. The material was more than 75,000 metric tonnes, and worth Rs 150-crore. But exact loss will only be ascertained after the rescue operation is over.” He also added that none of the employees were injured.
The incident took place at Khanna Paper Mill premises on 12 June. The cause of the inferno is yet to be ascertained, but the mill’s close proximity to the Raja Sansi International airport, Amritsar worsened the situation.
“The fire started at 1pm in the waste paper yard of Khanna Paper Mills. The fire tender of Khanna Paper was swiftly put into action. However, the magnitude of fire was beyond the control of fire tender. Due to high temperatures and high-speed winds, the fire spread quickly to the plant,” shared Kochhar.
“The fire started at 1pm in the waste paper yard of Khanna Paper Mills. The fire tender of Khanna Paper was swiftly put into action. However, the magnitude of fire was beyond the control of fire tender. Due to high temperatures and high-speed winds, the fire spread quickly to the plant,” shared Kochhar.
35 fire tenders and 25 fire equipment were pressed into service, and are still working round the clock to douse the fire. According to sources, at the time of filing this report, almost 95% of the fire had been doused. The company plans to monitor and assess the losses once the situation is fully-under control.
The newsprint producing unit has a daily production capacity of 400 tonnes.
For over 40 years, Khanna Paper Mills has been engaged in the manufacturing of paper and board by recycling of waste paper as the feedstock for domestic consumption.
It was the first company to export newsprint to Pakistan, and is a prominent supplier to leading news publications such as Rajasthan Patrika, Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, and local newspaper publishing houses. It is also one of the leading newsprint producers of the country with over 100 distributors spread around the country.
It was the first company to export newsprint to Pakistan, and is a prominent supplier to leading news publications such as Rajasthan Patrika, Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, and local newspaper publishing houses. It is also one of the leading newsprint producers of the country with over 100 distributors spread around the country.