Courtesy Adaderana

The general public should not have any undue fear when using liquefied petroleum gas, says the Litro Gas Limited Chairman, Theshara Jayasinghe.

He also noted that there is no change in the composition of Litro’s LP gas, adding that steps have been taken to obtain recommendations from foreign experts in this regard.

The remarks of the Litro chairman came during a media briefing organised by the Presidential Media Centre earlier today (December 20). President’s Media Spokesman Kingsly Rathnayake moderated the media briefing.

Though certain groups have suggested that the cause of the gas leaks and explosions was a change in the composition of the gas, it has now been confirmed that none of the incidents reported so far have been caused by a change in the composition of LP gas, Mr. Jayasinghe pointed out.

He said the company has agreed to provide an insurance cover of LKR 1 million per individual if such an incident is reported due to the standard of the gas.

Recommendations with SLS certification for the standards of LP gasses have now been issued, and the LPG composition is a mixture of 70% butane and 30% propane. The Litro chairman said steps have been taken to display Propane Max 30% Vol” in print on gas cylinders from today.

Secretary to the Technology Ministry, Jayantha De Silva said the investigations carried out in many parts of the country have revealed that the equipment used for the gas stoves, including the regulator, are substandard. A lasting solution will be provided to the issue by enabling the people to purchase the equipment with required standards within the next three months, he added.

He said the responsibility for the standards of the equipment will also be handed over to the two major gas companies in the future and plans are afoot to immediately minimize the impact of the situation as per the instructions of the President.

The ministerial secretary also stated that all further steps will be taken in accordance with the recommendations of the Presidential Committee appointed to look into the recent incidents of LP Gas cylinder fires and explosions.

Mr. Jayasinghe said LP gas approved by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board will be released to the market without any shortage during the upcoming festive season and added that the people should not fear a gas shortage.

Responding to questions by the journalists whether legal action would be taken against the relevant companies over incidents of gas leaks and explosions as well as in terms of reparations, Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon said that the Government Analysts have conducted comprehensive investigations into such incidents.

Accordingly, SDIG Tennakoon said that it has been reported that the majority of incidents have occurred due to substandard gas stove equipment and improper use of such equipment. Therefore, he said that there is no cause of action as it has not been scientifically proven that these were conducted with a criminal intention.

The public was also requested to purchase quality gas stoves and equipment up to the standard from responsible institutions.