3 gas bottling plants within 300m

Dec 25, 2017-The LP Gas Bylaw (2065) says that the distance between two bottling plants should be at least five kilometres but in Thapagaun, Banepa-10, three bottling plants are located within a radius of 300 metres.
Settlements near the bottling plants are at high risk of accident. On Wednesday, a fire at the bottling plant of Super Gas in Birgunj raged for eight hours as firefighters failed to douse the flames. A fire truck that had reached the site of blaze was engulfed in the inferno, causing the deaths of two firefighters. Another member of the brigade succumbed to the injuries later. Sagarmatha Gas Udhyog, Surya Gas Udhyog and Chandeshwori Gas Udhyog pose threats to the town in Kavre considering their proximity to houses and the country’s limited firefighting capacity. Rules were violated while setting up the bottling plants. “There were no other bottling plants when we started our business here,” said Roshan Napit, manager of the Sagarmatha Gas unit in Banepa. Napit said the settlement sprawled after they set up the plant there. Krishna Khanal, plant manager of Surya Gas, said he did not know how the bottling plant received permit as he was new to the company. “The board of directors has been changing time and again,” he said. A technician at Chandeshwori Gas said the bottling plants had received licence due to their connection with powerful officials. The plants have no proper safety measures for emergency situations. “We saw the Birgunj incident on TV. That scares us,” said Goma Neupane, a woman whose house is close to the plants. Nepal Oil Corporation Spokesperson Birendra Goit said the bottling plants might have been established before the bylaw was passed. The three bottling plants have been running in Banepa for more than a decade.  KAVRE: The local administration in Kavre has directed the LPG bottling plants to furnish necessary documents within a week.

After inspecting the facilities of five gas companies in Banepa on Sunday, Chief District Officer Shiva Prasad Simkhada directed the plants to furnish their environment impact assessment reports, recommendation by the local body and plant operation licence, among other crucial papers, to the District Administration Office. CDO Simkhada and his team inspected Sagarmatha, Chandeshwori, Surya, Ugrachandi and Gaurishankar gas bottling plants on Sunday.


Published: 25-12-2017 08:23



source; kathmandupost.ekantipur.com