Government record says 15 people have died and about 700 injured in the complex. The victims were brought to Irwin Hospital, affiliated to MC Shah Medical College here, for post mortem and medical treatment.

RPL claims only 10 have died and 370 injured, contesting that five other deaths shown as RPL workers in the hospital records, are of unidentified bodies.

The Rs 15,000-crore Reliance Petroleum, erecting Asia's biggest grassroots refinery, was hit by the cyclone on June 9, killing over 1,100 people, and rendering 50,000 people homeless. The cyclone caused widespread damage to seaports and other structures.

The controversy is centered around the number of workers who must have died or got injured at the complex in Motikhavdi village, about 30 km from here.

Sub-divisional magistrate SA Jibba visited the site twice, but did not find anything beyondthe official records.

Gujarat's revenue minister in-charge (Jamnagar), Malubhai Bera, who is camping here since June 10, said that, if necessary, he would ask for an inquiry. Collector Girish Mumra also said that if there was any suppression of facts, the government would take steps.

The issue has cropped up apparently because only 10 or 15 deaths were reported from the complex, where over 40,000-50,000 workers were staying in temporary barracks - half of which were blown off in the cyclone.

Reliance Petroleum spokesperson Parimal Nathwani attributed the rumour-mongering to some vested interests not happy with RPL's progress or who wanted to derive some gain even during such national calamities.

He admitted that there was some communication gap on June 9, but not from the next day. He said that the local press was allowed to enter and snap pictures, talk to affected workers and report as they pleased from June 10 onwards.

"Why should we hide a few deaths when we are paying Rs 50,000 as ex-gratiapayment, in addition to compensations, varying from Rs 1.58-Rs 2.20 lakh, to the deceased's next of the kin, as per the workers' compensation act," he said.

According to a senior IAS officer SR Raos, who has been sent here to supervise the post-cyclone management, suspected that the death toll in the complex could be higher, looking at the intensity of the cyclone. Rao said that the Gujarat government had announced Rs 50,000 as compensation to those killed in the cyclone, in addition Rs 50,000 from the prime minister's relief fund. "This is enough incentive for the relatives of those killed to claim the compensation, to whichever state they belonged to."

Both the government and RPL authorities announced to pay the compensations as per the rule. Just as Mumru said that the government would pay the compensations to the cyclone-hit even if they got their legal dues from RPL, Nathwani also said that the RPL workers would get the company's dues irrespective of government assistance.