Solar panel blast triggers panic

Panic spread in the busy Sayajigunj area on Wednesday morning when a deafening blast rocked a lane opposite traffic police station. It took a while for locals to realize that the bang that travelled for quite a distance came from the terrace of Asopalav (Sharad) apartments.

One of the five huge solar panels installed on the terrace broke down after a blast occurred in it at 9.45 am. The hot water and glass pieces got strewn across the terrace.

Interestingly, the panels weighing thousands of kilos were being used for heating water that was used by Surya Hotel adjacent to the apartment. Residents of the apartment accused the hotel owner Hasmukh Shah of illegally installing the panels on their building terrace. Shah, however, refuted the charges and said that the panels were installed legally as he owns a flat in the building. "We had opposed Shah when he tried to install the panels the terrace in January this year. But, he went ahead and installed such heavy panels that are dangerous for our 35 year old building. The blast also shows how they can be hazardous for the residents," said Ketan Purohit, who stays on first floor.

"When we locked the terrace, the hotel authorities broke it. We immediately approached the police to register complaint. But, the cops just accepted our application. Instead of questioning Shah, the cops harassed us by incessant probing. We also approached the fire-brigade officials but they too didn't act. Instead, they told us that the building is technically fit to sustain weight of the panels," Purohit told TOI.

The residents had also a filed suit in February this year requesting that the panels be removed from their terrace. "We wrote to state principal secretary, energy and petrochemicals D J Pandian in March this year informing him about the illegal installation and trespassing. All the residents have been running from pillar to post but it has not yielded any results. What if someone would have suffered injuries or died during the blast?" questioned another resident Janak Pawar.

Shah, who owns the hotel, said, "The installation is legal and I have certificate from structural engineer stating that the building can support the solar panels. The suppliers are sending their technical team to know the reasons behind the blast. It is not such a big issue."

When asked whether he is contemplating to remove the panels, Shah said if the technical team advises, he may remove them.