NAROWAL: The district administration has sealed 28 shops and registered 17 FIRs against shopkeepers for illegally refilling gas cylinders in Narowal.

Narowal Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza told Dawn that the district administration and civil defense department had launched a grand operation against those refilling LPG illegally. He said that assistant commissioners of the Shakargarh, Zafarwal and Narowal tehsils were supervising the operation and special teams were also conducting operations in markets and streets to stop illegal refilling.

The DC said that those refilling gas cylinders on the streets were playing with the lives of citizens. He said that during the operation, FIRs had been registered against five shopkeepers in Narowal tehsil, seven in Shakargarh tehsil and six in Zafarwal tehsil.

He said that 28 shops had been sealed and gas refilling machines and LPG cylinders were taken into custody from 32 shopkeepers.Mr Raza said that the teams had also cracked down on passenger vans and buses using LPG cylinders.

He said that vans and buses plying between Shakargarh and Zafarwal tehsils and to Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Sheikhupura were checked during the operation. He said that illegally installed LPG cylinders were recovered from 57 passenger vans and buses.

He said that strict legal action was being taken against drivers for illegally using LPG cylinders in passenger transport.

The DC said the district administration had also imposed heavy fines on more than 50 shopkeepers for illegally selling petrol. He said that challans had been sent to the courts against the pump owners. He said that the operation against illegal LPG cylinders refilling and petrol sellers would continue.

Citizens Hafiz Samiullah and Muhammad Riaz said that refilling gas cylinders in residential areas was very dangerous and 21 lives were lost due to a gas cylinder explosion a few years ago. They said that gas refilling was now being done in residential areas.

The citizens demanded that gas refilling shops should be moved out of residential areas.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025