Raigad officials appeal for public help to recover cylinders lost in flood

Authorities in Maharashtra’s Raigad district are appealing to the public to hand over any LPG cylinders they come across, after heavy rain flooded a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) bottling plant in Patalganga, near Panvel, sweeping around 3,000 cylinders into the Patalganga River.

The district administration said the cylinders, some filled with gas and others empty, floated downstream as locals gathered along the riverbanks, with several people wading into the water despite the fast current to try to retrieve them.

Officials have asked residents not to keep or attempt to use any cylinder they find, instead directing them to hand it over to HPCL, the nearest authorised HPCL distributor, or deposit it at the Tehsildar’s offices in Khalapur or Pen, or the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office in Pen.

Raigad District Collector Kishan Jawale reiterated the appeal, while the Raigad District Information Office issued a similar alert on X asking people to inform authorities immediately if they find a cylinder. Officials said work to trace and recover the missing cylinders is ongoing.