NAROWAL: On Nov 30, 2020, up to 13 passengers of a van were burnt alive and 17 others seriously injured when the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders installed in it sparked a fire after a collision with a bus near Miranshah, Narang Mandi.

The accident triggered a province-wide crackdown on the transport running on LPG cylinders.

Now, after one year, almost 50 per cent of the public transport running in the district is using LPG fuel on public routes, which is illegal.

This correspondent observed that LPG cylinders have been installed on wagons plying on intra- and inter-district routes. Several points have emerged at different places to refill LPG cylinders in Zafarwal and Shakargarh.

When contacted, Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Secretary Saddam Hussain did not respond.

Muhammad Atif and Aslam Nazir commute on public transport every day. They said the last-year like incident could happen any time due to the negligence of the departments concerned.

District Officer of Civil Defence Asim Riaz Wahla said the RTA secretary and traffic police had the authority to check LPG cylinders on public buses. He said that in 2021, 119 cylinders were removed from passenger wagons in a joint operation by the Civil Defense, traffic police and the RTA secretary.

Deputy Superintendent of Traffic Police Iqbal Hameed said an FIR was registered against the driver who used LPG cylinders.

He said illegal use and overloading of LPG cylinders on public transport would not be allowed. He said FIRs were registered after removing LPG cylinders from seven passengers wagons in a week.

Deputy Commissioner Nabila Irfan was not available for comment. Citizens have demanded that Chief Minister Usman Bazdar take action on the issue.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022