Forum compensates cylinder blast victim

In an order that could trigger a spate of litigations across the country, the District Consumer Redressal Grievance Forum has awarded a compensation of Rs 4.11 lakh to a city lawyer whose house was damaged in a blast that followed a gas leak.

The incident had occurred on July 30, 2003, when advocate Meera Bhambhwani's house was damaged following a leak of cooking gas.

The Consumer Forum held the gas company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and its dealer, Nagpur Gas Domestic Appliances (NGDA) guilty of deficiency of service and providing faulty regulators to consumers. This, the forum held was the cause of the cylinder blast.

It also awarded Rs 50,000 to the complainant for the mental harassment she suffered and directed the respondents to give Rs 10,000 towards costs to the complainant.

The compensation of Rs 4.11 lakh carries 9 per cent interest with effect from April 30, 2004, and has to be paid within 30 days. The two respondents can recover the same from their insurance companies.

The consumer pointed out that the regulator and rubber tubing had been provided by HPCL and replaced by representatives of NGDA. The NGDA, in its reply, blamed the consumer for negligence and claimed that due to faulty handling, the cylinder leaked leading to the blast. HPCL, while seeking a dismissal of the complaint claimed that the consumer had used sub-standard regulators and tube which led to the leakage.

The Consumer Forum held that two LPG cylinders were faulty and the leakages were detected during panchanama. This leakage ultimately resulted in the blast which damaged the house and office of Bhambhwani. The forum therefore directed the NGDA and HPCL to pay the compensation of Rs 4.11 lakh with 9 per cent interest from April 30, 2004 within 30 days.