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‘Smell’ spurs rumours of gas leak in Noida, but none found
Several of them called up the police and officials of the Noida authority and the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration to ascertain whether there was any such leak in those areas.
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Panic reigned in sectors 128, 137, 93A, 92 and surrounding areas on Thursday evening, as residents started complaining of a foul smell akin to a “piped gas leak”.
Several of them called up the police and officials of the Noida authority and the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration to ascertain whether there was any such leak in those areas.
Late in the night, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) officials confirmed that there was no gas leak in any of the areas.
In a statement, the IGL said, “Our teams have checked the pipeline network in a few sectors of Noida where a “smell” has been reported. There is no leakage in our piped natural gas (PNG) network, and no disruption in the PNG supply.”
Raman Sharma, district supply officer of IGL, confirmed, “Residents panicked and some societies shut down the main gas supply fearing a leak. However, senior officials of IGL were on the ground since 6pm and checked the supply line from Sector 137 to sectors 128, 93A and 92. No gas leak was found.”
Police said the smell was first reported around 5.45pm.
“We received a call from a resident of Purvanchal Royal Park society in Sector 137, after which a team rushed to the spot, shut down the IGL supply line and called the IGL officials to the spot. The officials, after inspecting the line, confirmed that there was no leakage after which the supply was resumed,” said Uttam Kumar, station house officer of Sector 142 police station.
Kumar said several residents of other Sector 137 societies also called the police fearing a leak.
District magistrate Suhas LY said that several residents had called the district administration to complain about the foul smell and and the administration had sought a report from IGL.
“Several residents reached out to the administration but their complaints were directed to IGL officials. We have asked for a report from IGL. District supply officer Raman Sharma has been asked to coordinate with IGL and find out the source of the smell.” he said.
Some societies’ administrations also sent emails cautioning their residents against using cooking gas until authorities had clarified the situation.
“We smelt gas and called IGL officials to the spot to check for leakage around 7pm. However, around 8.30pm, they informed us that there was no such leakage,” said Surojit Dasgupta, president of Exotica Fresco apartments in Sector 137.
Chief fire officer Arun Kumar said residents of Sector 128 filed a complaint regarding a gas leak in their area. “A fire brigade was sent to the area and officers inspected the place to find the source of the smell. Some locals said the smell was coming from a car on the road that had been involved in an accident. That car was also removed from the area. IGL officials were also contacted. They inspected the area and confirmed there was no leak. The fire tender was brought back to the fire department at 8.30pm,” said Kumar.
Meanwhile rumours spread among residents, exacerbating the panic. “There were some rumours going around on WhatsApp groups that the smell is due to the explosives brought in for the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers,” said Rajiva Singh, president of Noida Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association.
Rahul Sharma, senior manager, Noida authority, said authority officials were flooded by calls asking about the “gas leak”. “Some residents also asked about the ‘explosives’. However, we told them that the twin towers are to be demolished in May and the explosives will be brought in only by the third week of April,” said Sharma.
PNG is an odourless gas, but ethyl mercaptan is added to the gas for easy detection. Experts suggest switching off electrical appliances and cooking stoves immediately in case of leakage.
