Though conducted with good intentions, the safety class organised by the Indian Oil corporation (IOC) was not able to allay the apprehensions of the people gathered. Consumers created an uproar when their queries could not be satisfactorily answered by the IOC officials on the safety of the LPG cylinders.
M L Balachandran, Sub-Inspector, Njarakkal, who was present on the occasion complained that the response from the company during mishaps and emergencies was scant.
“One family had a narrow escape when a cylinder exploded two months back here in Njrakkal. They could save their lives as they escaped in time when the blast occurred. But damages could not be averted. This explosion of cylinders has become a recurring phenomenon and yet the authorities are groping in the dark. No precautionary measures are being taken,” he said.
The police officials said that they are yet to identify agencies that can assess the quality of the cylinders. “With the court orders, we have been frequenting several quality ensuring agencies. Unfortunately we were rejected several times. The police is in a dilemma as we are stuck in the middle of such cases, as we have not been able to procure proper aid from the company,” he said.
Sukumari and Nirmala who came from Cherai beach to participate in the safety clinic said that the precautionary measures which have been shown in the video were not followed by the delivery boys who deliver the cylinder.
“We have seen them throwing and rolling the full LPG cylinders,” they said. N Shanmukham, another consumer said that the agencies and the IOC officials do not respond when their help is sought. M R Vishwanathan, Vice President, Nayarambalam Panchayat said that it has been nine months since Lawrence Panaikkal lost his house and all his belongings in a LPG cylinder blast. “So far they have not initiated any measures to give compensation or provide insurance. They are washing their hands off from the issue saying it is the responsibility of the insurance company to look into the matter. A government firm like IOC should not shirk away from their responsibilities,” he said.
A Pandyan, General Manager, IOC, Kerala said that they are doing every bit to mitigate the issue. “This issue cannot be resolved unless and until we get proper cooperation from all quarters. Every day about 75,000 cylinders are being distributed across the state. It is being inspected with meticulous care. Nothing is going wrong inside the plant. But there is every possibility of mismanagement as there are many other people involved in it. The lack of awareness among consumers is also an important factor. We are trying our utmost best to resolve the issue by organising such safety classes,” he said. Pandyan also said that this is the very first step in this regard and IOC would not run away from its responsibilities.
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