A meeting between CNG and LPG dealers and District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rizwan Mehboob at on Thursday ended with a number of safety directives for the former so that the number of accidents involving CNG and LPG cylinders can be reduced.
Among them was the prohibition on the use of cell phones in the shops.
The government has made it a responsibility of the distributors and shopowners to ensure that their employees know how to operate fire fighting equipment.
According to the safety guidelines issued on Thursday all shops and sales points will have at least two sand buckets and two water buckets. The number of the portable fire extinguishers may be increased according to the size of the stock of LPG in the store.
It has been advised that no shop should have a source of ignition or open flame on the premises.
Cylinders should be stored in such a manner that in the event of an emergency they can be easily moved to an open place.
Stacking filled cylinders on top of one another has been prohibited as has storing cylinders outside the shop. According to the guidelines, no more than 10 cylinders may be stored in a shop at a time.
In addition, shops will no longer be allowed to be set up in basements, on a road less than 20 feet wide or in a residential area. Gas cylinders cannot be sold or stored near welding shops, hotels, restaurants, food stalls, mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, or any other place frequently visited by the public.
All stores and shops will also be required to have proper ventilation so that gas leaked does not accumulate. The shops will also be required to have exhaust fans and all electrical wiring will be underground.
The owners have also been told to make sure that their shops have signs with their names and contact information so that customers can contact them in case of violation of the guidelines.
The meeting was also attended by SP (Security) Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani, DSP (Security) and assistant commissioner.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2013.