The authorities will introduce penalties for the violation of the legislation on the sale of gas cylinders and their use for domestic purposes. There will be worked out a national program for renewing the existing gas cylinders and for compensating the socially deprived groups of people for the incurred related costs. Currently, 90% of the used gas cylinders are outdated and with the expired shelf life. This is provided in a plan of action for ensuring security and minimizing risks in using liquefied petroleum gas that was presented by Cabinet officials on November 19, IPN reports, quoting the Government’s press service.

The document was designed at the request of Prime Minister Pavel Filip as a result of the explosion that occurred in Râșcani district of Chisinau at the start of this October. He underlined the importance of taking concrete measures to avoid such situations in the future and instituting a viable mechanism concerning the filling, sale and use of gas cylinders. He noted the authorities should make sure only gas cylinders that were technically examined are used and the used gas is intended for domestic purposes and is not the one designed for the fueling of vehicles.

Under the plan of action, the companies that have the right to bottle and sell liquefied petroleum gas for domestic purposes will be issued with licenses and the budgetary-fiscal policy will be adjusted so as to provide concessions to business entities. According to the authorities, such measures will help reduce the prices of liquefied petroleum gas intended for domestic use. Campaigns will be conducted to inform the population about the safety rules when using gas.

The plan of action is to be finalized. The authorities will consider the possibility of authorizing specialized companies to deliver and install gas cylinders. In the meeting, the Premier was informed about the pace of works to reconstruct the block affected by blast that is located at 11 Moscovei Blvd in Chisinau.

According to persons in charge, two of the four damaged floor panels of the apartment building were restored. The works to repair the internal walls go on. The water supply and sewerage systems, the power supply system and the elevator are functional there. The centralized heating system will be repaired soon so that the dwellers could return to their apartments by this yearend.

Five people died as a result of the October 6 blast. Among them was a child aged four. It was preliminarily determined that the exposition was caused by a gas leak. According to prosecutors, an official cause of the blast does not yet exist as the examinations ordered in this case, including of the discovered gas cylinder, are not yet over. When the examinations are over, the criminal case will be most probably dropped given that the culprit died.