Pantheerankavu: Authorities on Monday seized 64 cooking gas cylinders stored illegally in a private compound amidst a residential area near Ilamanappadam.

The operation, carried out in the afternoon, was led by District Civil Supplies Officer R Gopalan following a public complaint.Of the cylinders recovered from the site on Vallikkunnu-Anjumavu-Parakkulam Road, 60 were empty, while four were filled for domestic use. Officials noted that the cylinders, which require careful handling, had been stacked carelessly in a private compound within a populated area.

The seized cylinders have since been moved to a secure storage facility. Officials informed that legal action would be taken against those who stored these gas cylinders without following any safety regulations. With gas cylinder availability already limited, the existence of such an illegal storage point in a residential area also raised alarm among local residents.