KARACHI, May 8: In a pre-emptive move, the fire department has advised the city administration to impose Section 144 to check the unsafe storage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in residential areas, which could trigger a major mishap in the metropolis. The warning came in the wake of the recent tragedy in Lahore where over 30 people died when three two-storeyed buildings, in thickly populated areas, collapsed after gas cylinders stored in one of them exploded.

According to reports, over 500 LPG cylinders were stored in one of the buildings.

Sources in the fire department told Dawn that the Chief Fire Officer had formally made a recommendation to the DO Civil Defence and Fire Brigade to impose Section 144 in the city in order to check the storage of LPG cylinders in the city’s densely populated areas.

The recommendation will be finally put before the city nazim, who would decide over the issue, sources said.

The Ministry of Petroleum, which also plays the role of a regulatory body, primarily remains concerned with the main LPG distributors as far as safety standards are concerned.

At the tail end, consumers are using the LPG in a most unsafe manner. Gas vendors mostly purchase big cylinders and refill the gas into smaller ones to cut costs.

Accidents usually occur during the process of refilling, a senior fireman pointed out.

Mostly old taxis are using LPG in old kits, which is highly dangerous.