Lighter and safer gas cylinders on their way; HPCL places orders for 5,000 cylinders

NEW DELHI: In a few months, colourful, lighter and easier-to-handle cooking gas cylinders will make their way into Indian kitchens, long used to heavy and potentially hazardous steel containers. Most importantly, the new composite cylinders, made of fibre, will be safer because they do not explode even when engulfed in fire, potentially saving thousands of lives, who fall victim to kitchen accidents every year.

To begin with, state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp has placed orders for about 5,000 cylinders with capacities of 2 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg of cooking gas, an oil ministry official said. Current cylinders typically carry a net 14.2 kg of gas.

The company will likely receive the new cylinders by March-end and start offering them to customers in the following month in Gujarat and Maharashtra, said the official, who has his office lined with a sample of composite cylinders of all sizes in a sort of campaign that allows his visitors to take a close look at the product new to the Indian market.

HPCL will start a marketing campaign closer to the launch to familiarise customers with the composite cylinders, which would weigh half and cost double that of the steel cylinders currently in use. These cylinders would be freely available to anyone at several stores.

The biggest advantage of the composite cylinder is that it doesn't explode in the event of a leak or fire. This is due to the advanced fibreglass technology used in manufacturing the composite cylinders. The new cylinder would be translucent, letting consumers see the level of gas contained in it and reducing the possibility of rigging, as is common with opaque steel cylinders.

The introduction of composite cylinders is among the key initiatives by the government to improve the quality of service to cooking gas consumers, many of whom have given up their fuel subsidy in response to the government's call but are often delivered less than the promised quantity of gas and at times, unsafe cylinders.

The composite cylinders, which are widely used in advanced countries, are likely to be supplied by local manufacturers Time Technoplast and Supreme Industries.

Consumption of liquefied petroleum gas is rising rapidly in India, with consumers being added every month. Household consumption of cooking gas rose 5.7% between April and December 2015.