NAGAPATTINAM: Residents of Thirukkuvalai have expressed concern over the safety of a Bharatgas LPG tanker trailer abandoned for months in an open field without its front vehicle or registration plate. However, a private construction company, which had taken the trailer, has said it had been modified to store water for a concrete plant and it posed no threat to residents.
The road is regularly used by students and devotees visiting the Ettukudi Murugan temple. Unaware of the abandoned vehicle’s contents, residents expressed fear that the tanker could pose a safety risk during hot weather if it still contained gas.
“We have been seeing the tanker lying here for several months without any clear information about why it was left here. Since it is a Bharatgas tanker, people are naturally worried,” said Anand Kumar, a resident of Thirukkuvalai.
Residents urged the district administration and police to inspect the tanker and remove it if necessary.
TNIE traced the trailer to a private transportation company in Namakkal. The company’s office staff said an associate private constructions company had taken the trailer. The manager of the construction company said the trailer had been modified to store water for use at an upcoming Ready-Mix Concrete plant at the spot for contract construction works planned in the district. They said the trailer had not been in use for a long time and was empty. It has been lying there because the construction process has been delayed, the manager said.
Officials at the Nagapattinam district administration said they will look into the issue.