Following the recent accident at a petrol bunk in Saidapet here, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has begun checking canopies (roofs) that were installed before 2018. One person was killed when the canopy of Aswini Oil Agency, a fuel outlet on East Jones Road, came crashing down in September during the heavy rain because of waterlogging on its roof.
“The checks are being conducted at retail fuel outlets across the country. We are checking factors such as signs of rust, stability, and damage, including the possibility of leaks. Canopies that are damaged are being removed too. Three such canopies in the city have been removed and some repairs are also being carried out wherever necessary,” said a senior official of IOCL.
Canopies in fuel outlets are made of tin sheets and aluminium and aren’t very heavy. They are fixed on concrete pillars. Rainwater that falls on the canopies drains through chutes and pipes to rainwater harvesting facilities. However, at the bunk at Saidapet, the chutes had become clogged with dry leaves and garbage.
Cleaning operations
IOCL has also employed an agency to regularly clean canopies of bunks whose land it takes on lease. Fuel outlets are of two types – A-site and B-site. A-Sites’ land is leased to the oil company, and it invests in the infrastructure, while for a B-site outlet, the land is owned or leased out by the dealer and pump. The fuel tanks are provided by the company. There are also fuel outlets that are completely owned and operated by the companies.
A dealer said if only these checks had been done regularly, the accident could have been prevented. “Hopefully, they will take it seriously this time and regular checks will be held. They concentrate only on penalising bunk owners. In this case, we don’t know if any action has been initiated on the officials who were indirectly responsible for the incident,” he added.
