“Partly such life consuming incidents occur due to negligence of the people and partly due to the laxity Government shows in stopping the manufacture and supply of substandard gas heaters in the local markets across Kashmir.”
The tragic death of five members of a family due to suffocation caused by the use of a gas heater in Panthrethan area of Srinagar city undoubtedly sent shocking waves across Kashmir like dozes of such life consuming incidents witnessed year after year during last more than a decade but unfortunately shocks of such incidents resulting in deaths due to negligence don’t last long more than a month as use of life consuming gas heaters heads to no dead end in Kashmir for more than a decade now. Partly such life consuming incidents occur due to negligence of the people and partly due to the laxity Government shows in stopping the manufacture and supply of substandard gas heaters in the local markets across Kashmir. While the branded gas heaters are not affordable for the people of low income groups, wisdom demands that immediate steps are taken for banning the supply of substandard gas heaters not only this year but for future as well. The people on their have to keep it in mind those using gas heaters or other appliances run on either electricity or LPG cylinders and as such it is for them to show zero tolerance against use of such dangerous heating appliances during nights. A single negligence does not only consume a single life but it devastates the entire family and after all why to use during night an appliance that is dangerous for life safety of not one but all the inmates in a short span of few hours. Unless people don’t take precautions and desist from growing trends of purchasing substandard gas heater and Government also doesn’t ban supply of substandard gas heaters in local markets the occurrence and re-occurrence of such life consuming incidents can’t be stopped in any part of Kashmir valley or Jammu division.
“As far as the public awareness against substandard gas heaters during chilly season of winter is concerned Government talks about awareness campaigns against the use of substandard gas heaters the time when reports about such life consuming incidents appear in local print and electronic media in mid winter periods of “Chilla-i-Kalan” but it does not launch awareness campaigns against use of substandard gas heater during nights before the commencement of this chilly season of winter. While asking people to take precautions in using gas heaters for heating comforts during nights in chilly season of winter the Government can’t evade queries on banning the defective gas heaters manufactured by local manufacturing units and supplied to retailers in local markets.”
Wisdom demands that even the manufacturing of the gas heaters by the local manufacturing units and their sale at local sales outlets is also banned to reduce the chances of such life consuming incidents. Since the consumer protection is the domain of the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department in Jammu & Kashmir the FCS& CA Directorate in Kashmir has an institutional and administrative obligation to take an urgent call on manufacture of defective gas heaters by local manufacturing units in Srinagar and other districts of Kashmir valley. As far as the public awareness against substandard gas heaters during chilly season of winter is concerned Government talks about awareness campaigns against the use of substandard gas heaters the time when reports about such life consuming incidents appear in local print and electronic media in mid winter periods of “Chilla-i-Kalan” but it does not launch awareness campaigns against use of substandard gas heater during nights before the commencement of this chilly season of winter. While asking people to take precautions in using gas heaters for heating comforts during nights in chilly season of winter the Government can’t evade queries on banning the defective gas heaters manufactured by local manufacturing units and supplied to retailers in local markets.
