No `gassing` the public
Advocate Kamini Jaiswal has filed a public interest petition in the Supreme Court beseaching it to order the closure of underground gas pipelines till safety measures against leakages are ensured. Jaiswal claims that contractors to the Gas Authority of India and the Oil and Natural Gas Commission have flagrantly flouted safety norms in laying the pipes. Many fires accidents in various cities, espcially in Delhi, have been narrowly averted in the recent past.
GAIL specifications require that pipelines should be laid at least 5 feet below ground level, and have a minimum clearance of 20 inches from other obstacles, like drain pipes and telephone and electric cables. But photographs of pipe laying operations reveal that they were laid just 2 feet below the ground. Valves and high pressure connections have been left exposed at a number of places, which could lead to sabotage or accidents.