Illegal LPG Practices Under Fire as OGRA Seals Hazardous Sites
— February 11, 2025
ISLAMABAD (AIA) The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has taken decisive action against illegal gas decanting, gas theft, and unauthorised mixing of carbon dioxide with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), amid growing safety concerns.
In a news release, OGRA said inspection teams have been deployed to identified areas to enforce regulations. Carbon dioxide mixing with LPG has been traced in several locations in Sindh—particularly in Khairpur Mirus, Ghotki, Pano Aqil, and Ranipur.
Authorities have also detected the manufacturing of substandard LPG cylinders in various parts of Gujranwala. Teams have been dispatched to Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan following incidents where fires at LPG plants caused significant losses to both the exchequer and public safety.
In a coordinated operation with local administrators, OGRA’s LPG and Enforcement teams raided four sites in Sindh. They discovered illegal mixing of carbon dioxide with LPG, sealed the sites immediately, and lodged FIRs against those responsible. The teams also prepared reports on the negligence of local handlers that contributed to blasts in Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan and sealed three illegal manufacturing sites producing substandard LPG cylinders in Gujranwala.
The enforcement teams visited LPG sites at Thehri Pass and Shah Hussain Bypass in Khairpur, as well as on the National Highway in Ranipur. An illegal site was also identified in Ghotki, where gas theft, unauthorised decanting, and carbon dioxide mixing were taking place; the site has now been sealed, with FIRs registered. Similar actions were taken at illegal manufacturing sites in Gujranwala.
OGRA has vowed to exhaust all legal options to eliminate these illicit activities and has written to the Chief Secretaries, the Commissioner of Sukkur and the Custom Collectorate, urging them to ensure local safety by curtailing the unauthorised sale of LPG.
It is pertinent to note that LPG is highly flammable, and the mixing of carbon dioxide – which has higher pressure than LPG – poses serious safety risks, including equipment malfunction and adverse environmental impacts.
Karachi
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