GG News Bureau
Dehradun, 10th Jan. A chlorine gas leak occurred in the Jhajhra area of Dehradun on Tuesday morning, causing panic among residents who were forced to evacuate their homes, according to officials.
The leak originated from a cylinder that was stored in an empty plot of land. Security officials promptly responded to the incident and ensured the safety of the affected individuals. Fortunately, no injuries or damages were reported.
Upon learning of the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami instructed officials to investigate the storage of poisonous gas cylinders near residential areas. A case has been registered against the plot owner, Deepak Gupta, and a local resident named Narendra Kumar Singh.
The district control room was notified of the incident in the morning, and immediate action was taken by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). They dispatched a commandant along with experts in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards, equipped with the necessary tools. Upon arrival, they discovered that one of the four cylinders stored in the plot was leaking.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and fire brigade personnel were also summoned to the scene. Residents in the vicinity were promptly relocated to safe areas.
The leaking cylinder was buried in the ground after being filled with water, as advised by an NDRF official. This method effectively minimizes the spread of gas through underground water leakage.
“After the cylinder is completely emptied of its content, it will be buried under the ground with soil,” NDRF Assistant Commandant Praveen Kumar said, adding that this is the safest and most effective option.
The personnel engaged in the operation and people in the area have been asked to use masks till even the faintest effect of the gas remains in the air, he said.
Kumar described chlorine as a choking agent, which, if inhaled beyond a certain limit, can even be fatal.
Replying to a question from reporters, he said the administration alone could answer who kept the chlorine gas cylinders in a vacant plot near a residential area.
“All I can say is as the gas is highly poisonous, the cylinders should not have been kept close to a populated area,” Kumar said.
Those inside their houses were asked to keep their windows and doors closed, he added.
When the leakage started in the early hours, the residents did not immediately realise it.
First, there was a smell, followed by a burning sensation in the eyes and irritation in the throat, Sushma Rawat, a resident of the area, said.
“Someone from the neighbourhood then went out to check and found the cylinders lying in a vacant plot. The effect of the gas in the air was so strong that he could not even breathe and came back running,” Rawat said.
She said she sent her daughter immediately to a relative’s place to ensure her safety when an announcement was made by the administration.
The residents were shocked to find in the morning that even vegetables like radish, rai and palak growing in their kitchen gardens had withered due to the poisonous gas leakage.
Taking serious note of the incident, Dhami asked officials to investigate who kept the cylinders near a residential area and for what purpose.
The chief minister asked the industry and labour department officials to exercise special caution and ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
Vikas Nagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vinod Kumar said the gas leak incident has been dealt with.
Police said plot owner Gupta hails from Agra in Uttar Pradesh while Singh is a resident of Patel Nagar in Dehradun. They have been booked under sections 336 (the act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case was registered based on a complaint by Jhajhra police post-in-charge Deepak Maithani, police said.
