ISLAMABAD’:

A Senate panel on Monday expressed serious concern over failure of the ministries concerned to introduce legislation aimed at increasing imprisonment and penalties related to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bowser and cylinder blasts, leading to several deaths.

Senator Waqar Mehdi had taken up the matter in the Senate, which was referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat. The panel warned that a private member bill would be introduced if the government was not serious about introducing the legislation.

The standing committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan, gave a deadline of two weeks to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and the Ministry of Law to pass a bill to increase imprisonment term and penalties over LPG bowser and cylinder explosions.

For one and a half year, it had not been decided which division would initiate the legislative process, committee members said, adding that if the government could not do it, “we will collectively introduce a private member bill”. The committee recommended amendments to the Ogra Act to ramp up the amount of fine.

LPG Industry Association Founder-Chairman Irfan Khokhar said the manufacturers of LPG bowsers and cylinders were a powerful mafia, who were causing scores of deaths. “There are around 500 factories in Gujranwala, which are manufacturing substandard cylinders, and bowsers are being manufactured in the Lahore region,” Khokhar said, calling for speedy legislation to increase jail terms and fines to tackle the mafia.

The new law proposes 14 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs15 million. It calls for declaring the manufacturing of substandard LPG bowsers and cylinders a non-bailable offence.

Ogra chairman said that the regulator had issued licences to 400 LPG filling plants and 17 cylinder manufacturing companies. “Accidents are increasing due to purchase of substandard cylinders,” he said, adding that those selling inferior cylinders were responsible for the loss of lives. He mentioned that the proposed bill would increase penalties on the violators of law.