PANCHKULA: A day after the gas leak at Panchkula's Rajiv Colony, local residents said
Haryana Urban Development Authority (
HUDA) waterworks officials kept a dumped chlorine gas cylinder here.
Tubewell operator
Dharamendra Singh, who works in the morning shift at the tubewell, said when he came to work, he found the lock of the cage where the cylinder was kept, broken. An abortive attempt to steal the cylinder had affected its seal, he said.
Dharamendra informed the junior engineer (JE), who told him they would take the cylinder away as it could be dangerous. According to water works officials, they use chlorine liquid instead of chlorine gas these days and the cylinder had been lying unused for the past few months.
When a team of HUDA officials came to remove the cylinder from the tubewell area, the gas leaked while they were detaching its pipes. This led to respiratory problems among area residents, especially children.
Isha Kumari, 31, a resident of Rajiv Colony, said, "My children fainted and when I went over to help them, I also felt faint. Residents took us to hospital."
Gurmeet Kaur, another resident, said, "My husband is still undergoing treatment in GMSH-16. We had a narrow escape yesterday." As people from 150 houses located next to the tubewell started running and a few children fell unconcious, HUDA officials rushed into their van with the cylinder and dumped it into Ghaggar river.
A similar incident occurred on August 10 when a chlorine gas leak at the Sector 20 Ashiana housing society affected 80 families.
President Citizen Welfare Association, S K Nayar, said, "When chlorine gas is not used any more by water works officials, why don't they remove all gas cylinders from tubewells and water works? Are they waiting for something serious to happen?"
