Thane residents demand ban on parking of LPG trucks near homes

THANE: A day after multiple LPG gas cylinders loaded onto a parked truck suddenly caught fire, causing explosions in Dharavi, Thane residents wrote to the municipal and police commissioners on Tuesday, urging them to discourage such trucks from being parked near residential areas.
Dayanand Nene, President of Saket Parisar ALM, a cluster of residential buildings, wrote to the authorities, highlighting the risk of a similar incident occurring in their neighbourhood. He pointed out that several trucks carrying domestic gas cylinders were often parked along the Saket road stretch.
“The trucks are parked just before Saket Towers. We had complained about this in the past, and although the parking stopped for a few days, it resumed soon after. In light of the Dharavi incident, we request you to prohibit the parking of such cylinder-laden trucks in our vicinity, as we fear the consequences if a similar incident occurs here,” Nene stated in an email to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Thane police.
Residents also raised concerns about cylinder depots located in densely populated residential areas, including Majiwada and Anand Nagar. “What happened in Dharavi was unprecedented, but why take risks? Such parked trucks or even cylinder depots are potential hazards and should be relocated to the outskirts,” said a resident.
Girish Jhalke, Chief Fire Officer at the Thane Municipal Corporation, denied any immediate safety threat from these parked vehicles. However, following the Mumbai incident, he confirmed that a meeting with oil companies would be held soon to enhance safety measures.