Arientha Primanita – The city administration should crack down on the illegal distribution of faulty gas cylinders feared to be the cause of recent explosions in the capital, consumer advocates said on Wednesday.
Bachrowi, of the Indonesian Community Association of Gas Consumers (Himkogasi), said it had identified a distributor that was allegedly selling gas cylinders with fake components in the Greater Jakarta area.
He said Himkogasi had received complaints from members of the public about a distribution company in Tangerang, from which the group bought two three-kilogram gas cylinders to investigate.
"We saw many problems with the cylinders, like there was no SNI [Indonesian National Standards] certified logo and the actual body of the cylinder differed from the original body," Bachrowi said, adding that the matter was reported to the Jakarta Police last week and the two cylinders handed over as evidence.
"People don't seem to be ready anyway to shift from kerosene use to liquefied petroleum gas; some have died because of these explosions," he added. "The government must control this situation and take steps so that it never happens again."
The call for government action comes a day after Jakarta Police said recent explosions involving state-subsidized gas stoves and cylinders may have been caused by counterfeit parts.
"There is a possibility that the explosions were caused by fake components," the head of the police's industry and trade department, Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Saputra, said on Tuesday.
According to police, several gas-cylinder suppliers were distributing products that did not comply with national standards. "This includes valves, regulators and much more," Eko said.
As part of their investigation into the blasts, the police will check with state oil and gas company PT Pertamina's distributors because it keeps a list of certified partners. "That is why we're asking for permission from Pertamina to look for agents that are not officially certified," Eko said.
Chandra Andi Salam, executive director of the Indonesian Development Studies Institute (LKPI), said the distribution of the fake cylinders had occurred because of weak management and oversight.
"Pertamina must increase monitoring of the production of gas cylinders," he said, adding that if producers or distributors were found to have committed violations, they needed to be severely punished.
Wianda Pusponegoro, manager of public relations at Pertamina, vowed it would tighten monitoring procedures in relation to the production and distribution of its gas cylinders. "Aside from national standards, we also have our own quality controls that check each cylinder before filling it with gas. If it is not based on our standards, we throw them out," she told the Jakarta Globe.
Wianda said Pertamina would cooperate fully with police in their investigations into the fake cylinders. Moreover, it also vowed to conduct its own surprise inspections of production and distribution companies to ensure compliance with standards.
"We urge people not to be afraid to use gas cylinders. With proper usage, it is safe," Wianda said.