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LPG pipeline damage: Becom, BWSSB in dock

The Parappana Agrahara police have registered an FIR against GAIL and Bescom for negligence.

BENGALURU: Four children were injured and some five houses damaged after a GAIL LPG pipeline was damaged due to alleged negligence by Bescom workers in Parappana Agrahara on Tuesday night.

The injured have been identified as Gagana, 10, her elder brother, Rohan, 12 and two other children, Hariharan, 4 and Induja, 2, residents of Muneshwara Block in Naganathapura near Parappana Agrahara.

Police said that Gagana and Rohan have sustained severe burn injuries and are currently being treated in Victoria hospital while others sustained minor injuries.

The Parappana Agrahara police have registered an FIR against GAIL and Bescom for negligence.

Police said the incident took place as the children played on the road. One of the residents, Srinivas, an electrician, prevented a major tragedy when he smelled gas coming from the bathroom and disconnected the LPG connection in the kitchen and removed the cylinder. He evacuated the house and alerted neighbours but the house collapsed due to the explosion.

A team of officials from the Forensic Science Laboratory visited Muneshwara Layout for inspection. On Thursday, the Chief Secretary held a meeting in which senior GAIL and other civic officials took part. They told Bescom to bear the cost of house damages and the medical expenses for the victims.

A senior officer said the Bescom contractor, who had carried out Horizontal Directional Drilling close to the pipeline, may have caused the leakage by ignoring safety guidelines.

Investigation revealed that at the time of explosion, the BWSSB had also caused another leakage a few kilometers away from the scene of tragedy.

However in that case a timely intervention by the technical team averted a tragedy. BWSSB too neglected safety norms and carried out digging work near the gas pipeline using an earth mover to build a manhole chamber. Police said a case has also been taken up against BWSSB.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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