DC orders crackdown on illegal 5-kg LPG cylinders

Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Wednesday ordered surprise inspections to curb the illegal sale, storage and use of 5-kg LPG cylinders across Ludhiana. The move aims to protect public safety and prevent hazardous incidents caused by unauthorised gas cylinders.

During a meeting with LPG companies’ representatives and distributors’ associations, Jain highlighted reports of unauthorised activities involving the storage, filling, refilling and transportation of non-ISI/BIS-certified gas cylinders and containers. Such practices violate the Explosives Act and Gas Cylinder Rules, 2016, posing severe risks to life, property, and public safety due to potential fire hazards and explosions.

To address the issue, Jain imposed a complete ban on the storage, sale and use of non-ISI cylinders, invoking powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The prohibition covers, sale or display of non-ISI cylinders or containers, use of transparent pipes or non-ISI cylinders in godowns, shops, warehouses, workshops, food stalls or residential premises for cooking and heating, filling or refilling LPG or other gases in non-ISI cylinders, use of non-ISI cylinders for domestic, commercial, or industrial purposes and transportation of non-ISI cylinders for any purpose.

The Deputy Commissioner also instructed inspection teams to rigorously check utensil shops, migrant-populated areas and other establishments for compliance.