Blast leaves CNG city shaken

By Prashant Pandey

NEW DELHI, APRIL 6. More noise was added to the widespread uproar associated with the conversion of commercial vehicles to ``environment-friendly'' CNG mode in the Capital today when a gas cylinder installed in an Ambassador car exploded while it was being filled at a fuel station in the Seemapuri area of North- East Delhi, injuring half-a-dozen persons.

The explosion, which took place at Deepak Filling Station owned by Mr.Surinder Singhania, on GT Road at about 5-45 p.m., ripped off the roof of the car which landed about 10 metres away. Two cylinders in the car were already filled and the third was half- filled when it burst.

The boot of the car was nowhere to be seen and the burst cylinder lay about 10 metres away from the car. Luckily the blast was not accompanied by fire. Kamal Saxena, a resident of Vivek Vihar who was waiting in his Maruti van right behind the car, sustained injuries. His vehicle was badly damaged up front, and the rear windshieldpane was shattered.

The other four injured, identified as Joginder, Jaideep, Vinod and Subhash, were waiting in an autorickshaw behind Mr.Saxena's van. A rickshaw-puller, Sher Singh, also sustained injuries as he happened to pass by the filling station. The injured were rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital and were reported to be out of danger. They had sustained injuries mostly on their legs and hands.

The top scaffolding of the petrol pump also got damaged under the impact of the blast. Most of the injuries and damage were caused by the splinters of the damaged car. However, the person who was filling the cylinder escaped without any injuries as the blast ripped the car from its top and rear.

After the initial shock, people in the area gathered around the filling station as also senior police officers who rushed to the spot. Delhi's Power Minister, Dr. Narendra Nath -- who also represents the area in the Delhi Legislative Assembly -- also rushed to the spot. The Minister said that unless enough safety measures were taken, CNG vehicles would continue to be a risky proposition.

Officials from the Indraprastha Gas Authority Limited (IGAL) -- the lone supplier of CNG in the Capital -- also rushed to the spot. ``Prima facie, the reason for the blast seems to be a spurious cylinder, which had perhaps rusted as well. However, a detailed inquiry is required,'' said the Managing Director of IGAL, Mr. Rajeev Sharma, adding that the Authority had already warned people against using spurious cylinders.

Meanwhile, people in the area were shaken by the explosion that was heard quite some distance away. ``In this incident, people were only injured. But until foolproof safety measures are ensured, I will always fear sitting in a CNG-run vehicle,'' said Mr. Vinod Tikku, a resident of the area, adding that another filling station distributes CNG right in the middle of a residential area.

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