The Rajasthan High Court has issued a stern warning to public sector oil company IOCL, stating that a major accident can occur at any time due to trucks loaded with gas cylinders parked outside the PSU's LPG bottling plant at Mokhampura on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway.
Court's Observations on Negligence
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Shubha Mehta criticized the company and its senior officials for their lack of will to address the issue, calling it a stark display of negligence. The court made these remarks on Wednesday while hearing a public interest litigation filed by OP Tak, a resident of Kathputli Nagar, who sought the relocation of IOCL's LPG bottling plant from Sitapura Industrial Area due to public safety concerns in a densely populated area.
Previous Directions and Concerns
The court noted that it had earlier directed the registration of an FIR against IOCL officials if trucks were found parked outside gas bottling plants. The bench also referenced previous concerns about roadside parking of cylinder-laden trucks on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, where an LPG tanker blast had caused major fatalities.
The judges stated that they personally observed trucks parked across the entire service lane near the Mokhampura facility while traveling from Jaipur to Jodhpur, raising serious safety and traffic movement issues. Additional Solicitor General Bharat Vyas informed the court that construction work near the Mokhampura plant could further exacerbate the hazard.
Petitioner's Arguments
Petitioner's counsel Abhinav Sharma submitted aerial photographs of IOCL's new Jaipur Oil Terminal at Phagi Renwal and highlighted that after a major fire in 2009, IOCL's oil depot was shifted to Mohanpura in Phagi Renwal, where ample government land is available. He argued that the gas depot was also intended to be relocated there, with a decision taken in 2009. However, a university and other projects were now being allowed nearby, hindering the relocation.
Court's Next Steps
The court sought a response from the director of industries and commerce on why only the oil depot was shifted to Phagi despite land being identified for the gas plant as well. Describing the Sitapura plant location as thickly populated, the court emphasized that final orders on the PIL are now necessary and listed the matter for hearing in the first week of July.
