The Court of Appeal today issued notices on Litro and Laugfs Gas Companies, Consumer Affairs Authority and Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), returnable on June 6 in connection with a writ petition filed challenging the gas companies’ decision to release unsafe gas cylinders to the market.
A two-judge-bench of the Court of Appealcomprising Justice Ruwan Fernando and Justice Sampath Wijeratne fixed the petition for inquiry on June 6.
General Secretary of Vinivida PeramunaNagananda Kodituwakku filed this writ petition seeking an order directing the IGP to initiate criminal investigation against the officials responsible for releasing unsafe gas cylinders to the market.
On December 17 last year, the Court of Appeal issued an interim order preventing the authorities from releasing gas cylinders for the domestic use without specific standards prescribed by the SLSI.
The Court of Appeal had also ordered the two gas companies not to release gas cylinders without displaying the gas composition as prescribed by the SLSI. The Court had further directed the two companies display the composition of Butane and Propane in the gas cylinders as prescribed.
The petitioner is further seeking an order directing the authorities to formulate healthy and safety standards for LP gas cylinders.
The petitioner states that due to sheer negligence on the part of the Consumer Affairs Authority Chairman D.M.S. Dissanayaka and Director General of Sri Lanka Standard Institution Siddhika Senarathne some consumers who use the LP gas cylinders have suffered physical injury and damage to their private properties due to the explosions caused by gas leaks from unsafe gas cylinders which were only meant to withstand the pressure generated by the composition of Butane 80% and Propane 20%.
The Petitioner states that these explosions occurred on daily basis with no corrective measures taken by the respondents to arrest the situation.
