Most of the petrol pumps of the city are tempting the inferno to appear due to the lack of safety measures. Several petrol pumps even lack the fire extinguishers, which are mandatory to install at every petrol pumps.
The petrol pump owners are negligent towards the safety of the people as well as their employees. People can be seen talking on the cell phones while in the queues to get petrol.
Notably, several minor incidents have occurred at the various petrol pumps of the city but the owners or the people took no lessons from them.
There are various soft spots near the petrol pumps which could create an inferno anytime due to the negligence of the Government and the owners such as cigarette shops and electricity fires. The city administration has also showed its negligence over the safety of the people.
District Collector Nishant Warwade showed negligence towards the issue, when contacted. He said he would investigate the issue and assured that strict action would be taken against the responsible people.
Moreover, people are also equally negligent towards the safety of other people. People could be found smoking near the petrol pumps as there are cigarette shops too near some petrol pumps. Cell phones should not be used at the petrol pumps as mobile batteries get heated and emit radiation. Even a tiny spark is enough to cause an explosion.
Several petrol pumps owners are so ignorant about the safety of the people that they keep dispensing the fuel at the same time when the tanker is filling up the reservoir. Anyhow, there are very strict safety procedures to follow during decanting, but hardly anyone seems to follow them.
Meanwhile after the demonetization, government and the petrol pumps are promoting the use of digital transactions. Mobile wallet applications are available on cell phones, which are prohibited from being used at petrol pumps as these might cause sparks, leading to major mishaps. The use of wallets, therefore, is a major cause of concern for many experts.
While mobile wallets as well as oil marketing companies are claiming that they follow all safety norms and no mishap has happened as of now, experts believe that should not be the reason to allow cell phones at petrol pumps.
According to the guidelines of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the petrol pump or gas station should be situated in a rest area and no cell phones should be used at the petrol pumps. Mobile phones should be kept off before entering the petrol pump or gas station. IRC had also released guidelines regarding the safety measures at the petrol pumps. Factually, most of the petrol pumps of the city are situated in the residential area or markets. Even some are situated near the colleges or other educational institutions.