Petroleum tankers flout safety norms

HYDERABAD: Every truck carrying petroleum products or trolleys carting LPG cylinders are potential tinderboxes on the city roads.
Interestingly, the transport department does not have an exact count of the number of vehicles carrying such products.
However, a senior official of the department told The Times of India that of the numerous vehicles that carry hazardous goods, nearly two-thirds ferry inflammable products like kerosene, petrol, LPG and naphtha.
Such products should be handled with extreme caution, the official said.
The department, the official said, was aware of the problems associated with such vehicles. “Though we have been conducting random checks, there are numerous grey areas we have identified,� the official added.
When involved in an accident, these vehicles may cause disastrous consequences like fire and explosion, in addition to property loss and environmental pollution. “It is mandatory for these vehicles to follow all rules related to transportation of hazardous substances,� he said.
The rules state that all such vehicles must display a distinct mark of the class label appropriate to the type of dangerous or hazardous product.
These vehicles must be fitted with an instrument to record the lapse of the vehicle’s running time — so it does not overrun, which could overheat the vehicle and may result in a spark. Also mandatory are installation of an acceleration monitor and spark arrester.
“None of the vehicles carrying petroleum products follows these procedures,� the official said. Though trucks carrying petrol have the name of the chemical, weight and other details, it is more of a scrawl and quite illegible, he pointed out.
Auto trolleys transporting LPG cylinders are driven recklessly and most of the drivers do not have adequate knowledge how to transport the cylinders, he said.
All vehicles, including trolleys, that carry hazardous materials, have to be equipped with first-aid kits, safety equipments and antidotes. But this too is not followed.