7 people who were injured in the explosion at the Sandar Massam shop in Kamalpokhari are being treated at the Kirtipur burn hospital, while 4 injured workers have died.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Pokhara Metropolitan Chief Dhanraj Acharya are being treated at Kirtipur Hospital, who were injured when a balloon was blown down by the sparks of a flickering candle during the 'Visit Pokhara Year 2025' announcement program on Saturday. There is a rush of special people to visit them in the intensive care unit (ICU).
After the incident, Minister Paudel and Metropolitan Chief Acharya were brought to Kirtipur Hospital by chartering a helicopter. Soon after, Health Minister Pradeep Paudel reached the hospital.
On Sunday, President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, Energy Minister Deepak Khadka, and Communications Minister Prithvisubba Gurung met them. The hospital issued a notice on Sunday saying that there is a risk of infection after the high-ranking person was infected.
In the same hospital, workers who were injured in a cylinder explosion at the Sandar Massam shop in Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu, are being treated a week ago. Of the 11 people injured in the January 24 blast, they were taken to Kirtipur Hospital, four of whom died during treatment. Now two people are being treated in the ICU and five people are being treated in the general ward.
18-year-old Ravin Rai, 22-year-old Pradeep Tamang, 25-year-old Bhim Bahadur Ghale and 25-year-old Chiring Lama who were injured in the explosion at Sandar Massam shop died during treatment. Manish Pokharel (18), Yash Kumar Ghale Magar (19), Tirtha Magar (18), Rohan Lama (18), Ayush Magar (18), Dhan Bahadur Tamang and Sanjog Rana Magar are undergoing treatment in Kirtipur. They are all workers of Sandar maham shop.
A gas cylinder was stored in the 'underground' room of the shop. My shopkeeper used to cook food in that room. They were injured when a fire broke out while they were preparing to cook. It is initially assumed that gas leaked from the cylinder in the room and when the lighter was lit or the switch was pressed, it started the fire.
A joint team of Nepal Oil Corporation and Quality and Metrology Department is studying the accident. An officer involved in the investigation said, "The gas cylinder was not properly closed the previous day and there was a gas leak or the gas was turned on in the stove to cook food and went to look for a lighter."
The incident of fire in the Sandar Masham shop has shown the weakness of the security standards building and monitoring agencies. Although the number of fashion shops in Kathmandu is increasing every year, the government does not have official data. Most of the shops do not even follow the normal standards and no one takes any action against them. According to
experts, the distance between the stove and the cylinder should be at least one and a half meters. The stove should be placed in an elevated place. But most of them keep the stove and cylinder together and make masham.
Rajan Poudel, Director General of Commercial Supply and Consumer Protection Department, says, 'There is no standard for how to run a meat shop.' Sanjeev Kumar Karn, Director General of the Food Department, said that there is no standard for meat shops. He says that small shops such as masham shops are in charge of the local level.
Navin Manandhar, the spokesperson of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, says that he is not aware of the standards regarding the operation of masham shops. Vasant Acharya, information officer of the metropolis, said that there is no standard for the operation of shops.
Krishna Prasad Bhandari, president of Ubhokta Jagran Abhiyan Nepal, says that standards, monitoring and regulation are necessary for every business. He says that standards are mandatory to make businessmen responsible. Along with small shops, hot bazaars are also cooked by keeping cylinders. It is also necessary to regulate it,' says Chairman Bhandari.
President of Consumer Rights Research Forum Madhav Timalsina said that consumers are at risk due to shop owner's misbehavior. He said that awareness should be spread on how to use gas during shop operations. "Very sensitive gas cylinders are always risky, small negligence is causing accidents," he said, "shops should be regulated to make them responsible."
There are 59 gas industries across the country The gas industry must conduct a hydrostatic test within 10 years of cylinder manufacture. Then test at 5 years and 3 years. Gas cylinder hydraulic/hydrostatic pressure test, regulator and valve pipe problems and accidents occur due to lack of awareness.
"Common people should use regulator with NS mark, rubber pipe sealed with wire and quality stove," said Shiv Prasad Ghimire, President of Nepal LP Gas Industry Association, "Fires often occur due to gas leakage from gas valves. It is important to make the general public aware of this.'
