Rourkela: Even as the shock and grief involving the death of four members of a family in an LPG gas leak mishap at Indirapalli here is yet to fade away, the presence of another LPG godown at Shaktinagar, a place of VIP settlement, has sparked panic among the residents.
While the presence of LPG godowns in residential areas has pushed the lives of the residents into danger, the administration seems to be indifferent and yet to take any steps to shift the godowns to isolated locations in the city, a report said.
The lackadaisical attitude of the administration has sparked sharp resentment among the locals and has come in for severe flak from them, it was learnt.
None can predict the extent of loss of lives and properties if gas leakage from the godowns results in a major disaster, Pramod Kumar Natulya, a resident of Basanti Colony said.
Gripped by this overwhelming fear, the residents have demanded shifting of the godowns from residential zones to isolated locations.
They questioned as to how the administration could remain so indifferent to people’s problems.
It is alleged gas agencies are having their way by being hand in gloves with some administrative officials as far as site selection for their depots is concerned.
When contacted, supply officer Ramachandra Tudu said our job is to ensure smooth supply of LPG to households while the fire department has to verify the site of LPG godowns proposed by the gas agency and accordingly issue fire safety license.
Deputy fire officer Binod Kumar Singh said earlier the sites of LPG godowns were not of much problem as the areas were thinly populated. However, it has become a problem with the growth in population.
He said we will first conduct a probe at the LPG godown sites and report to the district administration if they are found to be in thickly populated zones. The district administration, if desires, could cancel the license of the gas agency concerned, he added.
“The LPG godowns should always be established in isolated locations as their presence in residential areas might pose threat to lives and properties of people,” Binay Kumar Tiwari, a resident of Sector-5 said.
He said the government should take steps in this direction and direct the administration to relocate the LPG godowns from residential zones to isolated areas, he added. PNN
