Rourkela gas cylinder mishap: LPG distributors association stops supply

Bhubaneswar: All Odisha LPG Distributors Association on Saturday stopped gas distribution services protesting arrest of three persons in connection with the deaths of four members of a family in a fire mishap at Rourkela.

Terming the arrests as ‘illegal and arbitrary’, over 400 members of the association from across Odisha staged a demonstration here today.

“The deaths were unfortunate but police arrested three persons without conducting a proper investigation,” said an agitator.

The association claims that the supply of LPG cylinders to consumers has been suspended for 24 hours. However, the staff under the association are responding to emergency calls in the State.

According to reports, proprietor of Utkal Gas Agency Mukesh Kejriwal and two employees of the firm Trilochan Bhuyan and Pranadhan Mohanty were arrested and forwarded to court by the police.

The arrests were made after a family including Suresh Tripathy, his wife Suchitra, two minor daughters Sruti and Prachi died at Ispat General Hospital (IGH) while undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries sustained during the cylinder fire mishap on July 31.

Suresh’s family had registered a complaint at the Jalda police outpost alleging negligence on part of the LPG supply agency which had led to the mishap.