Hyderabad: Blast fear holds up gas pipeline

Hyderabad: Worried about explosions, the GHMC has not given road cutting permission to the Bhagyanagar Gas Limited to lay gas pipelines. GHMC engineers say BGL wants to install gas pipelines three to six feet below ground level, parallel to drinking water and sewerage lines. Engineers say that during maintenance or emergency work on the water and sewerage an accidental strike on BGL pipelines might lead to an explosion.

A GHMC officer said: “BGL connections are not fit for Hyderabad, the pipeline material, HDP, is so thin that there is a high possibility of a burst with a single strike.” He said others use DI pipelines. A senior officer from the road engineering wing said, “BGL has approached the GHMC for road cutting in the core area to install gas pipelines. It has been identified that they are laying the line less than 1 metre deep. Pipelines of water, sewer, communication cables, storm water drains run parallel at that depth.”

If the gas pipelines are installed alongside, maintenance work on the civic infrastructure could become risky, he said. “The core area is thickly populated and we cannot give permission. This was conveyed to the petroleum minister too. We have asked BGL to explain their plan of action; a decision will be taken after October 14.” Officials from BGL were unavailable for comment.