Last week’s collapse of the canopy at a petrol bunk on East Jones Road in Saidapet that left one dead and several injured has turned the focus on the stability of structures at retail petroleum outlets in the city.
Chennai has over 800 retail petroleum outlets and the State has around 7,000 of them.
Occurring weeks ahead of the monsoon, the incident is a stark reminder of how things should not be taken for granted, according to consumer activists and motorists.
“The unfortunate incident of a canopy collapsing at a petrol bunk may be unheard of so far and should be not dismissed as an act of nature. The accident underscores the need for regular checks of such structures by the oil marketing companies (OMCs) and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO),” said consumer T. Sadagopan, consumer activist.
P. Sekar, who runs a small painting establishment bang opposite the fuel outlet and was injured in the incident, recalls how he had gone to drink water at the bunk when it started raining. “There was a large crowd waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly there was a loud noise and the roof just collapsed. At that moment, someone fell on me and I found that I could not move my hand. I called my sons on my mobile phone and they came and took me in an autorickshaw to a hospital. I still can’t lift my hand,” he said.
T. Dinesh, former dealer, said the employee who died is entitled for damages from the oil marketing company. Action must be initiated against the officials concerned.
A former official with PESO, who did not want to be named, said that even though PESO had powers to arrest offenders such as the Inspector of Factories, the organisation does not resort to such actions and only suspends the licence issued to the outlet.
“PESO issues safety license to all the structures in the outlet and these include ATMs, food stalls, lighting and even the insurance booth. Each time a change is made to any structure, be it the canopy or the underground tanks or even lighting, the outlet has to go in for fresh safety certificates under Rule 130. We have PESO recognised individuals, who inspect and give a comprehensive certification,” he said.
An industry source said regular safety checks were being carried out by the respective companies. An official of the OMC, to which the outlet belonged, said that the cause of the accident was being ascertained and that construction of outlets was being done as per a set of Standard Operation Procedures.
A few dealers said that annual maintenance contracts should be introduced for installations like lighting, canopies and buildings. “We have monthly maintenance for dispensing unit and pump. Even the underground tanks are not checked periodically. Only if the fuel pump operator raises issues, will the company respond. In some cases, companies take time to respond,” said a dealer.
