NAROWAL, May 11 The district administration has failed to check the risky business of LPG cylinder refilling even after a cylinder explosion which claimed 14 lives a few days ago.

People are refilling small LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders without any protective measures and proper equipment, mostly in populated areas. The locals informed the district administration about the practice a number of times, but to no avail.

The recent cylinder explosion, which killed 14 people and injured many others, panicked people, especially those living or doing business around LPG sale points.

Most LPG dealers and sub-dealers are involved in illegal and unprotected refilling of cylinders, even in congested bazaars and streets of the city.

According to an estimate, at least 50 illegal LPG sale points are operating in the city and 500 in the entire district.

In Narowal city, Eidgah Road, Railway Road, Zafarwal Road, Kutchery Road, Main Bazaar, Gunj Hussain Abad, Abbas Nagar, Rasool Nagar and Zakirpura are the places where this illegal business is growing by leaps and bounds. LPG dealers and sub-dealers are making money by refilling small cylinders at inflated rates.

It is learnt that this is the tehsil municipal administration's responsibility to check this business, but tehsil municipal officer Ijaz Ahmed says he has no such instructions from the district coordination officer or any other official therefore he did not challan any person associated with the refilling of LPG cylinders.

District civil defence officer Muhammad Adil said there was no law on this illegal business. He, however, said he challaned some people for a lack of safety measures at their LPG sale points.

DSP (Headquarters) Iftikhar Ahmed said police were ready to register cases against people running any illegal business, but there was no complaint in this regard from anyone so far.