Thane makes commercial gas cylinders mandatory for Ganeshotsav community meals
The use of commercial gas cylinders has been made mandatory in Thane for preparing 'mahaprasad' and large community meals during Ganeshotsav and other upcoming festivals, a district official said on Saturday.The directive issued by Thane Assistant District Supply Officer Yogesh Jangle to all tehsildars in the district aims to prevent the misuse of subsidized domestic gas cylinders and eliminate the risk of severe fire accidents during the festive period, he added.
Many public Ganesh mandals routinely use domestic cylinders for cooking large quantities of food, either out of ignorance or negligence, the official said.
"However, differences exist between domestic and commercial cylinders regarding overall capacity, burner design, and gas pressure. Utilizing domestic cylinders for large-scale cooking poses a grave threat of explosions," he said.
In the event of an accident involving illegal domestic gas usage, insurance claims are routinely rejected, the official further pointed out.Such wrong usage is also a serious offense under Essential Commodities Act, making mandal office-bearers directly liable for criminal prosecution while causing substantial revenue losses to the government, he said.
The District Supply Officer ordered local bodies and the police to issue a joint circular forewarning mandals, while directing tehsildars to notify local committees and immediately submit compliance reports to the district headquarters.
Grahak Dakshata Kalyan Foundation founder-national president Nitin Solanke welcomed the decision and said safety must not be compromised during sacred celebrations.
