Illegal gas cylinder refill factories turn Ashulia neighbourhoods into a deathly place to live

LPG is channelled from large cylinders into small, expired and substandard ones half-filled with sand and water

Unauthorised gas cylinder refill factories have turned the residential neighbourhoods of Ashulia in Savar into a dangerous place where people in the know live in constant fear of explosion.

Workers with no institutional training channel liquified petroleum gas from large cylinders into small, expired and substandard ones half-filled with sand and water in over 50 factories in the area on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Residents, knowingly or unknowingly, use these cylinders for cooking in their kitchens.

The administration and the police deny any knowledge of the hazardous practice of refilling expired and substandard small cylinders with a mixture of gas, sand, and water for extra profits.

This dangerous procedure has led to a string of accidents and fatalities recently.

During a gas filling operation in the Tentultala area near Fantasy Kingdom on May 13, an explosion occurred, causing severe burns to five people – four of whom died in hospital.

Just a week before, on May 4, a loud explosion shook the Kathgara area in Ashulia during the nighttime in another illegal factory. Although no injuries were reported, the blast caused extensive damage, burning nearby houses, power lines, water tanks, shops, and trees. The explosion was forceful enough to cause the plaster on the roofs and walls of several houses to crumble.

The factory owners have allegedly concealed many such accidents.

Md Nayeb Ali, who heads the Department of Explosives, said the agency conducted an investigation and prepared a report after the explosions in Ashulia in May. He could not say what was written in the report.

Despite repeated complaints from locals, the administration only takes temporary action after explosions occur.

Those responsible for these incidents evade capture, and the business continues without interruption.

Recent investigations have uncovered the influence of a prominent network over the factories located in different areas of Ashulia. This network acquires large cylinders of 45 litres, 60 litres, and 64 litres from renowned companies through agents in the open market. These cylinders are subsequently used to refill smaller cylinders.

According to the LPG companies, it is mandatory to have the name of the company and the refill date on every cylinder, regardless of its size. However, the small cylinders in this area lack any company name or refill date. They are usually painted red.

The expired and substandard cylinders are collected locally, and buyers, unaware of their condition, acquire and keep them at home. This lack of awareness has resulted in significant explosions as well.

GAS FILLING PROCESS

One of the factories in Ashulia's Kathgara was locked, but workers were spotted inside through the gate, refilling small cylinders. None of them agreed to open the gate or talk.

In another factory, an overturned large cylinder was seen lying with a piece of ice on top and a 12-kg cylinder stored inside a plastic drum filled with ice.

In these factories, there are usually four to six workers. During risky tasks like gas refilling, the other workers move out of the area, leaving one “skilled” person to handle it.

The nozzle of a small 12 kg cylinder is opened using a special tool. It is then filled with sand and water. The cylinder is placed in a large drum filled with ice to keep the cylinder cool during the refilling.

The main task begins as the gas is transferred from the large cylinder to the smaller one through a pipe. During the filling process, thick steam-like emissions of ice and air are released.

The factory, owned by Kalam Mia, does not have a signboard. According to Kalam, he started the gas refill business with the support of Nur Nobi, who takes care of him and several others involved in this business.

He also claimed he gives Nur a monthly payment of Tk 1,000 to Tk 5,000 to deal with the administration and police.

Lalon, Belal, Karim, Nahid, Khokon, Badal, Helal, and several others are also part of the gas refill business, he added, without giving their full names.

Kalam said that even the dealers of prominent LPG companies are well aware of the illegal factories. "They choose to stay silent in order to increase sales and meet their targets."

Others in the illegal business also identified Lalon from Kathgara and Nur from Tajpur as the main perpetrators.

Nazrul Islam, an LPG dealer in Ashulia, explained: "The gang members acquire empty cylinders from various dealers. They proceed to fill five 12 kg cylinders with gas extracted from a single 45 kg cylinder. As a result, each cylinder receives 3 kg less gas.”

“To make matters worse, these 12 kg cylinders often bear the logos of well-known companies, deceiving unsuspecting customers," he added.

The businessman also expressed concern about the impact on genuine traders.

At Nur's factory in the Tajpur area, a similar scene unfolded. Despite the locked gate, a visible gap allowed glimpses of pickup vans filled with cylinders inside.

Nurul Amin Dewan, a resident of the area, said he had once gone inside and seen the workers filling the cylinders with a mixture of gas, sand, and water. “I have reported this to the authorities, but unfortunately, no action has been taken."

When contacted, Nur said, "I cannot discuss managing the police station as I have my security concerns. However, Lalon is fully aware of the situation."

Fazlul Karim, the owner of Karim Enterprises in Ashulia’s Narsinghpur, used to be involved in the business but has now quit.

He said that there are about 50 illegal refill factories in Ashulia, with Lalon managing them.

According to him, Lalon would fill small cylinders with sand and water before adding gas using a special device.

He also revealed the existence of a depot owned by Lalon in the Kathgara area.

Fazlul added, "Gas in large cylinders costs Tk 5 less per kilogram compared to small cylinders. So, even by refilling a 12 kg cylinder, there is a profit of Tk 60. If you refill 100 cylinders, you can earn Tk 6,000."

He said all the cylinders from the factory that exploded in Kathgara were sold to Rahim Raj Enterprises, owned by Sohrab Ali from the Narsinghpur area.

However, the shop has been closed since the incident.

Lalon could not be reached as his phone was switched off.

There is limited information available about him, and it is unclear where he is from or where he resides.

PROXIMITY TO FACTORY POSES RISKS FOR RESIDENTS

Rezaul Karim, a local resident, said they had noticed the refilling of small cylinders with gas from the large ones at a warehouse made of tin and rented by Md Miraj in Shikdar para of Kathgara.

There are other similar refill factories in the area, but due to the owners’ influence, people are afraid to speak up, he said.

Shariful Islam and his 9-year-old son Shohag were victims of the devastating blast as the walls of the tin-shed warehouse near the Fantasy Kingdom collapsed after the explosion caused a massive fire.

According to a source close to Shariful, workers in these factories earn a monthly salary of Tk 7,000 to Tk 10,000 based on their age and skills, but they have to take risks for this money.

Many workers, like Shariful, reside near the factory and must live there at risk. During the May 4 explosion in Kathgara, people immediately fled their homes, driven by fear and panic.

According to locals, many people were affected by the blast on that day. However, the owner of the factory had disappeared and remained untraceable.

There have been no updates from police or government officials since then.

According to dealers, explosions mainly occur due to the use of expired or poor-quality cylinders and unsafe gas transfer practices.

HOW LONG ARE THE LIFE CYCLES OF GAS CYLINDERS?

Sources within the Bangladesh Department of Explosives, or DoE, told bdnews24.com that any seasoned and reputed LPG cylinder manufacturing enterprise uses high-grade steel to make the cylinders, which usually has a 10-year shelf life.

DoE’s regulation dictates that every five years, each cylinder must undergo a rigorous inspection to check the conditions, and after inspection, each cylinder is marked by a code to confirm how long it will last.

The cylinders kept in the factory warehouse in Savar’s Ashulia do not contain any such code.

An official of the Bangladesh chapter of Total Gas, a global supplier of LPG, said it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to scrap the metals of cylinders after the expiration date.

“Manufacturers must scrap the metal of LPG cylinders after expiration and sell it off, according to the DoE regulations. However, the department must be notified about it in detail,” the official, who refused to identify himself for the article, said.

Dhaka Export Processing Zone’s Fire Service and Civil Defence Warehouse Inspector Md Wali Ullah said that in his career, he found that some manufacturers skip the scrapping process to save some money and sell off the expired gas cylinders to scrap merchants.

“The scrap merchants then resell those cylinders to some other shady LPG merchants, who purchase those at a discounted rate, and refill and start selling as LPG cylinders,” the inspector said.

Nazrul Islam, an LPG dealer in the Ashulia area, agrees.

“The rule is clear. The expired cylinders need to be scrapped. However, many people bend the rules and re-sell those again,” he said.

ADMINISTRATION, POLICE KEEP MUM

Although the illegal factories and warehouses are common knowledge among the locals in Savar’s Ashulia area, the Bangladesh Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection, or DNCRP, has no clue about the existence of such establishments.

When contacted, Mohammad Hasanuzzaman, assistant director of complaints at DNCRP, said the directorate needs more information about the factory and warehouse to investigate the matter.

“We will raid it if local police authorities get in touch with us about it,” he said.

Some officials at DoE also hinted that the department only conducts raids in such establishments if any whistle-blower comes forward with a specific allegation or after any accident.

The reasoning is pretty simple- the department has a shockingly low number of staff at its disposal to conduct inspections or raids.

“We have only 104 staff nationwide for the department. It’s insufficient for carrying out raids or inspections in any facility, let alone an illegal one. But we [DoE] still try to carry out such raids with the help of mobile courts,” said Monira Yesmine, deputy chief inspector of explosives at the DoE.

However, she confirmed that sometimes, especially in major incidents, the department takes it upon itself to seek legal avenues to punish law-bending businesses or enterprises.

Mominul Islam, an inspector at Ashulia Police Station, said the police are unaware of any such factory and warehouse.

“No one has come forward to lodge any complaint. Police will check it out if someone does,” he said.

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi and Adil Mahmood]