TOBA TEK SINGH: Two Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) daily wager employees were burnt alive when, after an explosion on a gas pipeline, a fire broke out at a pit where they were repairing the pipeline in Faisalabad on Friday.

Rescue 1122 reported that in Nishatabad Small Industrial Estate, on a complaint of gas leakage in textile mills, Aleem Ahmed and Muhammad Rafay were repairing the ruptured pipe, but during welding suddenly an explosion occurred which caused a heavy fire inside the pit and as a result, both were burnt alive in a few minutes.

In a late-night development, SNGPL higher authorities replaced Faisalabad SNGPL General Manager Masroor Ahmad with Naveed Ashraf.

Sources claimed proper measures were not adopted in this case which took the lives of two daily wager workers.

MD Masroor said he was not transferred, instead, for an impartial inquiry into the incident, he was temporarily posted in Lahore. He confirmed that both deceased employees were daily-wage workers. He said the issue to be inquired about is that the gas supply to the mills had been disconnected for the last year and both deceased were sent to inspect the place if all was set and gas was not being stolen but it was surprising that when gas was not being supplied in the pipeline how the explosion occurred.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2022