SAHIWAL: Around 200 illegal shops are selling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in urban and rural localities of the district in violation of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Production and Distribution) Rules 2001.

These shops are located in populated localities at Jahaz Ground, Farid Town, Daraay Da Khokka, Bhutto Nagar, Bilali Masjid, Muslim Bin Aqeel Colony, Jogi Chowk, Sahiwal Bypass, Bus Stop, Chak 94/6-R, 95/6-R and 96/6-R, Kameer, Noor Shah, Yousafwala, Chichawatni and Harrapa City.

Syed Ali Raza, district officer Civil Defense, says the authorities at the district and divisional level have no exact data of the shops selling, filling and refilling LPG which are in hundreds.

A source says the shops have no license to sell the LPG while there is no Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) office at district and divisional level and nobody checks violations regarding sale and filling of the LPG.

In such a situation, Mr Raza says, the department of Civil Defense is helpless.

The Civil Defense office can only impose fine on sellers of the LPG under PPC Section 285/86 which deals with “negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter”.

Mr Raza confirms that most of the times fine is issued against shopkeepers for making no proper arrangements for fire safety under the PPC and the maximum fine can be from Rs1,000 to 5,000. The shopkeepers pay the fine and get bail from the local court.

Haji Muhammad Latif, owner of a private LPG agency in Sahiwal city, says none of shopkeepers has fire protection cylinders because of which they have to face fines. Muhammad Amir, a rickshaw driver, says whenever an accident occurs local administration becomes active and start issuing fines to LPG shopkeepers.

“The shopkeepers close shops for sometime but they again reopen after four to five days,” he adds.

Dawn learnt that under the LPG (P&D) Rules 2001 the person selling the LPG without a license can be arrested and Rs5,00,000 minimum fine can be imposed on him. But as no Ogra setup is available at local level, no big fine and arrests can be made.

Last month, an LPG gas cylinder exploded at Chak 96/6-R, Ada Booti Pal, causing death of six people but no action was taken against illegal sale of LPG after the incident.

Published in Dawn, August 31th, 2014