The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has taken serious notice of the illegal decanting, theft of gas and mixing of carbon dioxide (CO2) with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) along with other safety standard issues and has sent its teams to the identified areas for taking appropriate action as per rules and regulations.

CO2 mixing with LPG has been traced at various locations of Sindh, especially in Khairpur Mirus, Ghotki, Pano Aqil and Ranipur while the manufacturing of substandard cylinders has been traced at different locations of Gujranwala, a spokesperson for Ogra said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ogra teams were also dispatched to those areas of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan where fire had erupted at LPG plants, causing the loss of public lives and denting the national exchequer, he said.

In Sindh, Ogra’s LPG and enforcement teams, in coordination with local administrations, raided four sites, where they discovered the illegal mixing of CO2 with LPG and sealed all of them immediately. They also lodged first information reports (FIRs) against the individuals concerned.

The teams visited LPG sites at Thehri Pass and Shah Hussain Bypass in Khairpur, National Highway Ranipur and spotted an illegal site in Ghotki where theft of gas, illegal decanting and mixing of CO2 was being done. These sites were sealed.

Ogra teams have also prepared reports on the negligence of local handlers, which caused blasts in Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan, and sealed three illegal manufacturing sites for substandard LPG cylinders in Gujranwala.