Former minister slams admn over gas pipeline fire incident

Former Haryana Minister Karan Singh Dalal has criticised the administration for failing to take appropriate action following the recent gas pipeline fire that claimed a life and caused property damage worth several lakh. In a statement on Friday, Dalal accused the authorities of being lenient toward the gas company, which he held primarily responsible for the incident. He claimed instead of taking strong action against the company's officials, the police had arrested individuals who were not directly responsible for the tragedy and those arrested have already been released on bail.

Dalal said the lack of arrests or questioning of senior officials from the gas company exposed the government's claim of taking tough action. He called for a high-level probe into the incident and urged the government to review the procedures for laying gas pipelines in the city, as he believed the guidelines had been violated. He also suggested a case should be filed against those who approved the pipeline’s installation, noting the line was not buried deep enough.

Additionally, Dalal demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of the deceased and urged the government to provide adequate compensation to the residents whose property was damaged in the fire.