President’s expert LPG committee report out today

The eight-member expert committee to probe into the recent incidents of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder fires and explosions reported on domestic, commercial and sales outlets countrywide will submit the findings and solutions for the issue to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today.

The expert committee completed gathering evidence on 11 December.

The Committee is chaired by Prof. Shantha Walpola from the University of Moratuwa and the members include Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon, Prof. Ajith De Alwis from the University of Moratuwa, Prof. W.D.W. Jayathilaka from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof. Pradeep Jayaweera, Sri Lanka Inventors Commission Commissioner Prof. Narayan Sirimuthu, Technical Services Additional Director-General Dr. Sudarshana Somasiri, and SLSI Senior Deputy Director Sujeewa Mahagama.

The President Rajapaksa appointed the committee on 30 November and they were instructed the to gather information from all the necessary parties and look into existing studies, views of all stakeholders, and submit a report to him within two weeks.

As of yesterday, over 700 LPG related fires and explosions were recorded from countrywide.

Meanwhile, the State Ministry of Consumer Protection has directed the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to advise the two LPG companies – Litro Gas Ltd., and LAUGFS Gas PLC to commence distribution of cylinders from today, as per the guidelines issued by the Court of Appeal last Friday. 

The Court ordered the two companies to only distribute cylinders that are approved by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI).