In Palwal, located in Faridabad, Haryana, a severe gas pipeline leak on Tuesday led to a terrible explosion claiming one life and injuring three others. Authorities revealed this information, stating the explosion occurred near Lala Lajpat Rai Park on Old GT Road when a government JCB was repairing a water pipeline near a tea stall. Panic ensued swiftly at the scene.
Multiple shops, along with a three-storey building, were entirely engulfed in flames. A JCB and numerous vehicles were also damaged in the fire, with total losses estimated to be in crores of rupees. Four fire brigade vehicles arrived, and after two hours of strenuous effort, the fire was controlled. Police and district administration officials reached the site to manage the crowd.
According to the police, around noon on Tuesday, a 10-feet long and 8-feet wide pit was dug using excavation machinery to fix a water pipeline leak. Later, all public health department workers repaired the leak and exited the pit.
When the JCB started refilling the pit, a nearby PNG pipeline was damaged, causing a rapid leak. Before people could comprehend the situation, gas from a tea stall stove ignited the fire, leading to an explosion.
This created chaos among shopkeepers and other people. Amidst the panic, Hari Chand Singla (50), a tea vendor from Shiv Vihar Colony in Palwal, fell into the pit and was engulfed by flames. Police reported witnessing flames rising 30 feet high at the scene. Ultimately, a cylinder kept at the tea stall also exploded. Two public health department employees, Veeru and Ramkumar, sustained burns and were admitted to a private hospital.
Police said once the fire was controlled, Singla’s body was retrieved from the pit and sent for a post-mortem. The fire destroyed goods worth crores kept in two shops: Jain Battery and Rico Battery. Additionally, a JCB, six bikes, and other items were burnt to ashes.
A senior police officer mentioned that the situation is now under control, all injured are receiving treatment, and an investigation into the explosion has begun. After the fire, traffic on Old GT Road was suspended and rerouted through alternate routes. Traffic jams stretched from Agra Chowk to New Sohna Road and the old Sohna Chowk, with normalcy restored by 4 PM.
