The ring tone to Lekshmi Kumaran's mobile phone plays a popular song in praise of Lord Rama, the Indian god worshipped for his unending compassion and courage. Taking our call today, Ms Kumaran eventually utters the words that show why she's needing his support this week.
"There is no ghost in the refinery," she tells me on the phone. Naturally, as today's contributor to The Barrel, it has fallen to me to follow up on the story that has got us all talking on the Singapore news floor.
"There is no ghost in the refinery," she tells me on the phone. Naturally, as today's contributor to The Barrel, it has fallen to me to follow up on the story that has got us all talking on the Singapore news floor.
"One of the local tabloids wrote that there is a ghost, and that I conducted a puja to exorcise the ghost. It's simply not true," adds Kumaran, who is in admirably fine humor considering the nature of our call.
Local press reports suggest it's been a tough week for Kumaran, and all the management at MRPL, the Indian oil company running the 193,000 b/d oil refinery that is nestled along India's southwestern tip. On Thursday she had to deny that scurrilous rumors that MRPL has brought in a tantrik, one of the regional witch doctors known for performing rituals that can involve sacrifices.
The pictures suggest the press conference was well attended. It makes you wonder if they train for this kind of thing at the Public Relations academy.
The long list of woe that can bring down a refinery got one line longer on Thursday, after a rat chewed through power cable at MRPL and managed to bring down the entire plant.
Earlier this week, Platts reporter Pradeep Rajan reported that a similar event brought down the refinery last year, in an incident that apparently involved a lizard.
All of which suggests that while MRPL might well be free of phantasmic infestation, it could be a strong contender in a competitive race to be the world's most cursed refinery.
Local press reports suggest it's been a tough week for Kumaran, and all the management at MRPL, the Indian oil company running the 193,000 b/d oil refinery that is nestled along India's southwestern tip. On Thursday she had to deny that scurrilous rumors that MRPL has brought in a tantrik, one of the regional witch doctors known for performing rituals that can involve sacrifices.
The pictures suggest the press conference was well attended. It makes you wonder if they train for this kind of thing at the Public Relations academy.
The long list of woe that can bring down a refinery got one line longer on Thursday, after a rat chewed through power cable at MRPL and managed to bring down the entire plant.
Earlier this week, Platts reporter Pradeep Rajan reported that a similar event brought down the refinery last year, in an incident that apparently involved a lizard.
All of which suggests that while MRPL might well be free of phantasmic infestation, it could be a strong contender in a competitive race to be the world's most cursed refinery.
is it..? interesting to know such matters..!