7 yrs, 3rd gas blast in Giaspura colony

Ludhiana: An LPG-cylinder leak during Tuesday night’s illegal refilling operations sparked a fire that injured several people, including a girl, during dinner time at a makeshift workshop in the city’s Samrat Colony, which has become a usual spot for these incidents.

The blaze left a woman with 80% burn injuries. Most of the injured were discharged from the hospital after treatment. The fire occurred around 8.20 pm, as the residents were preparing and having their last meal of the day after the daily grind. Among those injured was Phoolmati, who was about to cook for her family while her husband was at work. Another of the injured, Shivani, was nearby when the fire broke out.

Shivani’s mother, Laxmi Devi, reported that: “The cylinders being filled illegally ignited suddenly, causing panic among people as the flames engulfed the area. The neighbours rushed to help, and while some of the workers sustained minor injuries from the flash fire, Phoolmati and Shivani’s critical injuries required quick hospitalisation.

The assistance from the neighbours helped control the fire, eventually. Civic authorities arrived shortly after to investigate the incident, which has raised alarms about the ongoing practice in the area of filling illegal LPG cylinders. This is not the first time negligence of this sort has led to a serious accident.

Many previous incidents due to similar illegal activities have resulted in severe injuries and fatalities.

In seven years, Giaspura has been the scene of four gas-related accidents, while Giaspura’s Samrat Colony has now reported third major incident related to illegal refilling in this period. In May 2023, an LPG cylinder explosion at Giaspura’s Samrat Colony had killed two people — a 40-year-old woman and her 13-year-old son. The blast injured over 30 others, with five minors among those. When power was restored in the area, it ignited the gas that had leaked while cooking and that caused a devastating explosion that collapsed part of a house.

In April 2023, another gas leak in Giaspura had left 11 people dead and nine hospitalised. Preliminary investigations indicated that high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas to be the cause, and that had a potential link to a factory’s emissions. The incident raised alarms about infrastructure deficiencies and inadequate safety measures in densely populated neighborhoods. These incidents highlight the need for stricter regulations on illegal LPG refilling in migrant-dominated areas where safety measures are often overlooked.

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