A man gets a small cylinder filled at a cycle repair shop in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Dec. 31: Hundreds of illegal shops refilling small cylinders from regular domestic cooking gas cylinders have mushroomed around the capital. But the administration is oblivious to the menace.

A cycle repair shopkeeper in the Civil Lines residential area was found filling illegal 5kg gas cylinders from regular 14.2kg LPG cylinders. Local residents said the practice was extremely dangerous to the neighbourhood and called for an immediate crackdown.

Another shopowner in the Civil Lines area, Arjun Kumar, who also runs the illegal business, said: “I am into this business from the past three months as I make a handsome profit out of it. At Rs 40 per kg, I refill at least 60kg gas a day.”

On his clientele base, he replied: “Mostly vendors, rickshawpullers, constables and students staying in hostels come for refilling the 5kg gas cylinder.”

Sources said that the officials concerned get a cut for permitting this illegal business to flourish under the very nose of the administration. Hundreds of people are associated with this business. These 5kg cylinders, which are used for cooking and lighting, are sold and refilled by several small shops. The cylinders do not conform to the safety norms set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The Telegraph team visited a spot where refilling was being carried out. The gas cylinder were being refilled done in two ways in two different shops — in the first, a regular cylinder was inserted upside down on top of a small one.

A small brass nozzle from the former was inserted inside the small cylinder and they were kept in that position for a few minutes. In the second, the gas was transferred from a regular cylinder to a small one with the help of a pipe.

Shopkeeper Mintu Kumar, who was found refilling gas, said: “I know it’s not correct but we don’t have any other work.”

He said: “We buy the regular cylinder from the black market for Rs 500. We make a profit of merely Rs 80 extra on each small gas cylinder.”

Reacting on the illegal filling of gas cylinder, food and civil supplies minister Shyam Rajak said: “We are taking strict action regarding such activities. A few days back our department made an inspection and raided few places. Some persons were also arrested.”

He said: “We are taking strict measures to curb such activities. Apart from this I would request consumers to co-operate with us. There are many consumers holding more than five or six gas cylinder leading to scarcity. This in turn leads black marketing.”

When asked about the illegal filling of gas cylinders, an official of Bharat Gas, Patna unit, Vijay Kumar, said: “It’s a blatant violation of the LPG Control Order which pertains to supply and distribution of LPG cylinders. The unscrupulous shopowners transfer LPG from the regular cylinders to the smaller ones with the help of a brass nozzle which is completely illegal.”

Kumar said: “While filling the gas cylinder, even a small leak can lead to disastrous consequences. The refilling of small gas cylinders is very dangerous in areas that have a concentrations of shops and residences.”

He said: “Various kinds of licences are needed for refilling gas cylinders. The explosive department issues licences for storing more than 100kg of gas, licence for refilling gas and licence for transportation of gas.”

Kumar added: “In fact, the 5kg gas cylinder does not have an ISI mark and there is not even any guarantee. The quality of the gas cylinder is very bad and does not have the capacity to bear even the slightest pressure. If even a bit extra gas is filled, the cylinder can burst with disastrous consequences.”

The state government has failed to check the illegal practice of refilling of LPG cylinders and its being done at every corner of the city. Anishabad, Gardanibag, Chitkohra bridge, Lohanipur, Kankerbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Jakkanpur, Postal Park, Kadamkuan, Agamkuwa, Alamganj, Patna City Chowk and Phulwari Sharif are the main hubs where this illegal business goes on in full swing.

Nageshwar Prasad, a resident of Buddha Colony, said: “This business cannot run without the support of the local police.

The administration too is surely involved in it.

The state government must take punitive action to put an end to this.”