The recent cylinder blast incident in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, which claimed the lives of four of a family has brought to light the widespread illegal practices in the developing node. These issues range from the illegal sale of petrol to the refilling of small cylinders, which are prevalent throughout the area.
Ulwe does not have a fuel station, and motorists are forced to travel to Belapur, about 5 km away, to refill their vehicles. Taking advantage of this, several small shops have begun illegally selling petrol in one-litre bottles. They transport petrol via motorbike, fill it into bottles, and then sell it to motorists at a significant markup. Last month, a CNG pump became operational.
Motorists, with no other option, are forced to pay between Rs 25 to Rs 30 more per litre. Petrol is sold for Rs 130 to Rs 140 per litre, while at an official fuel station, the price is Rs 103 to Rs 104 per litre.
The tragic blast on October 30, which claimed the lives of 35-year-old Manju Bhati and her 14-year-old twins, Chetan and Lakshmi, was reportedly caused by this illegal practice. Manju's husband, Ramesh, sustained serious injuries and later died in the hospital. According to police, the explosion occurred after Chetan accidentally dropped a diya, which ignited containers of petrol in the shop. The fire quickly spread, reaching illegally stored cylinders, resulting in the fatal blast.
The node, still under development, has many migrant laborers who rely on small 5 kg cylinders for cooking. These cylinders are refilled illegally at the same small shops, where the refilled 5 kg LPG cylinders are sold for Rs 800, even though the 14 kg cylinders, which are used for refilling, cost around Rs 800 to Rs 900.
In addition to illegal fuel sales, Ulwe is also facing a proliferation of illegal chicken shops on nearly every corner of the node. In the same incident, a chicken stall owner, Dilshad Ali Sakir Ali, aged 21, was also injured.
The unsafe practices of illegal fuel sales and unauthorized refilling of cylinders have raised serious concerns about public safety in the area, which needs immediate attention from local authorities.
A shop used to sell petrol illegally at sector 8 in Ulwe said that after election they will again start selling. According to official from CIDCO, they had already provided land for fuel station and they will start operation soon.