There is an increasing demand for gas cylinders and the business is flourishing, mostly without any supervision or adherence to the guidelines. A majority of the businessmen as well as users are not aware about how to use and storage of these cylinders which are massive fire hazards if not used right.
Those liable for the regulation and supervision of these cylinders are avoiding responsibility citing shortage of manpower. The citizens on the other hand think that the companies have to ensure the safe use of the cylinders.
Although the direct dealers of the cylinder companies follow the government guidelines, it was seen that majority of the cylinder shops in Old Dhaka of Mogbazar have sprung up on the ground floor of residential buildings.
These, shops, despite being equipped with fire extinguishers have been storing the cylinders in risky conditions. Not to mention that in several areas, the footpaths in front of these shops have been lined up with these cylinders without any safety measures.
Meanwhile, several restaurants and tea shops in the Mohakhali and airport area keep the gas cylinders extremely close to the stove. Many have placed the cylinders horizontally on the floor during use, which is an absolute no when it comes to LPG gas cylinder usage.
One such shop is Emran Enterprise at Mogbazar’s Larif Sader lane that sells gas cylinders without any authorization. Originally a hardware and paint shop, the store is lined with nine 12 kg gas cylinders along with large paint containers gas stoves and other risky materials.
The owner of the shop is Md Imran who was not there at the shop. His father, Siddiqullah told Bangla Tribune that the cylinders have been stored as a side business and that they have no fire safety measures in place.
Two other shops at Latif Sarder lane, Nadia Enterprise and Mahfuz Enterprise are both unregistered shops that are on the ground floor of a residential building.
The tiny shops are lined with cylinders and one of them has a fire extinguisher on one side and two bicycles outside to transport the cylinders to the clients’ house.
Responding to queries about whether they have permission from the Department of Explosives to sell and store the cylinders, Nadia Enterprise owner Khurshid Mia said, “We have a City Corporation trade licence but the explosives department didn’t give one because the place is small. It is expensive too.”
Khurshid’s neighbouring Mahfuz Enterprise owner said that they deliver their merchandise by hanging them at the back of a bicycle.
One of the hotels behind the police box at the airport intersection uses gas cylinders for cooking purposes. The cylinder is laid horizontally although the guidelines specifically say that they must never be inverted or tilted when in use.
The hotel owner, who was oblivious to the safe use of these cylinders, told Bangla Tribune, “There is little risk of it falling if used horizontally.”
“You need open space to get a dealership to sell cylinders,” Omera Gas cylinder company dealer Md Latif Reza told Bangla Tribune.
“We are doing business with the explosive department’s licence,” he said and added that many unauthorised sellers are now in the business.
Those in the gas cylinder trade say that they supply their clients with the guidelines provided by the companies. They say that the users must also be aware that they are using it safely.
“Retailers can store a maximum of 10 cylinders at a time without licence from the explosives department,” Director of the Department of Explosives, Md Samsul Alam told Bangla Tribune.
He added that legal steps can be taken against the retailers if they are caught selling more than 10 cylinders.
Alam said that they are short on manpower and added, “Each department only has three to four officers.”
He said that it is not possible to regulate these matters unless the district administration and the police don’t help.
The Gas Cylinder Rule, 1991:
The 1991 gas cylinder rule says that to sell the cylinders, the floor has to be made of concrete. The sellers must have proper storage, fire extinguisher and clearance from the fire service.
The third section of the guideline says that a licence is a must for importing these cylinders.
It says that cylinders can’t be transported with two wheelers (eg bicycles, motorcycles) and no part of the cylinder should be hanging out of the transport.
Filling up a cylinder without licence is absolutely forbidden, the guideline says.
Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Ali Ahmed Khan said that gas cylinders although high in demand are becoming a cause of alarm.
“The cylinders aren’t maintained properly. Also the cylinders that are used are below the standards,” Ali told Bangla Tribune.
He said that the regulators of the cylinders are subpar too and although they undergo primary monitoring at the primary level, a secondary inspection is imperative.
Saying that the cylinders themselves do not explode, Ali added that its the leakage that give rise to full-scale fires.
“When transporting the cylinders, it must be ensured that the regulators aren’t accidentally pressed because that’s what causes the leakage,” Ali said.
He said that everyone must be aware of the proper usage and storage of the cylinder to avoid any catastrophe.