Major disaster averted in Batala following gas leak incident
A major disaster was averted in the city following a gas leak incident in the busy Umarpura locality on the Batala-Jalandhar road.
Despite the fact that the incident occurred on Saturday, the ambers are still simmering with livid residents asking the district administration to immediately fix responsibility. Reacting to the residents rage, the cops registered an FIR today.
SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said a criminal case had been registered at the Civil Lines police station. “We have started investigations into the case. I have formed a team of senior officers, which will be fixing the culpability of those responsible for the incident,” he said.
For two hours, the city remained sitting on a powder-keg as MC officials went on an overdrive to control the damage.
Four persons have sustained burn injuries. One of them has been shifted to DMC, Ludhiana, two have been referred to hospitals in Amritsar while one has been admitted to the Batala Civil Hospital. The person admitted to DMC is said to be in a serious condition.
A team of a reputed mobile company, Airtel, was engaged in excavating the earth to lay an underground cable when some residents pointed out that a natural gas pipeline recently laid by Gujarat Gas Limited was passing nearby. However, the digging went on uninterrupted following which the pipeline caught fire. The fire gutted a nearby shop even as residents ran helter-skelter to save themselves.
Various types of rumours were thick in the air as police investigators got busy in their inquiries. People claimed that an LPG cylinder had burst before officials confirmed that “a natural gas pipeline had burst leading to the fire”.
Natural gas is often delivered through pipelines while LPG is stored in liquid form under pressure in tanks. Old-timers say the city had a providential escape because the leak emanating from a natural gas pipeline was controlled on time “otherwise we would have been involved in a major disaster”.
A senior officer said natural gas is highly inflammable and could have devoured people living nearby.
“Natural gas is a combustible fuel composed of methane. It is highly inflammable. Its flammability is why this gas is used as a fuel source for heating and cooking. Safety measures are crucial when handling natural gas to prevent leaks and ignition. The people engaged in digging did not take these safety measures into consideration. A police investigation is the need of the hour,” said Naresh Mahajan, ex-president of the city’s civic body. He has demanded a comprehensive probe. “The injured should be given compensation by the district administration,” he added.
MC Commissioner Vikramjit Singh Panthey was immediately informed when the leak occurred. He immediately rushed to the spot and controlled the situation. “The mobile company people had taken the requisite permissions from the MC,” he said.
However, a senior MC official agreed that the necessary approvals were granted by the MC but “somewhere along the way the safety issues was compromised.” The MC has issued a notice to both Airtel and Gujarat Gas Limited. “Action will be taken based on the reply of these companies,” said the MC Commissioner.
Amritsar