After a spate of recent gas leaks following damage to several gas pipelines during roadwork, Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) has now begun painting MGL symbols on roads under which the gas line passes through.
The initial implementation was observed in the western suburbs of Dahisar and Borivli. Under the new system, bright, durable yellow colour paint is being used to mark the road surface at regular intervals with the MGL logo, indicating that a gas pipeline runs beneath that stretch. These markings act as a visual alert for anyone intending to drill, dig or excavate, prompting them to exercise caution and coordinate with MGL before commencing work.
Sitanshu Roychowdhury, VP, Mahanagar Gas Ltd
“The initiative was conceived after multiple instances of gas pipelines being damaged during road widening, concreting and utility repair works, leading to gas leaks, traffic disruptions and, in some cases, emergency shutdowns,” said Sitanshu Roychowdhury, vice president, operations and maintenance, MGL. “While no major casualties have been reported, the incidents raised concerns over potential hazards in highly populated neighbourhoods. Thus, we thought of this solution. Around 1400 roads are being concretised across the city at present. Of them, on 830 roads, gas pipeline works are going on. At present excavation works are going on at 800 spots simultaneously,” he added.
“While we are using durable paints, it will wear off considering the heavy vehicular and foot traffic. So, till we come up with a concrete solution, we will keep repainting it to serve the purpose,” said Roychowdhury, “We have also started onboarding excavators and JCB operators and making them aware about the need to dig carefully. We are also training them to locate the gas pipelines and take careful measures while excavation.”
Residents in Borivli and Dahisar have largely welcomed the move, calling it a practical and much-needed step. “There have been several cases where roads were dug up without proper checks, and suddenly gas supply had to be stopped for hours due to a leak. If this marking helps prevent that, it’s a relief for residents,” said Meet Shah, a Borivli resident.
Try ducting, say some
Residents of Vikhroli have requested their ward office to establish a duct/trench adjacent to all roads that are under-construction considering the massive housing redevelopment that’s going on in the locality. “If the duct is made available, the roads will not have to be dug repeatedly when each new building is constructed. It will be easier to put utility pipelines without having to dig up the roads,” said Vishwajeet Dholam, an MNS leader who has written to BMC officials on the matter.
