Panic struck commuters on Sarjapur Road in East Bengaluru on Friday morning after a GAIL gas pipeline was damaged while the BBMP was carrying out drainage work, leading to a gas leak.

The incident occurred around 11:45 am in front of the Wipro office in Sarjapur Road after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) workers damaged the GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited) gas pipeline while undertaking drainage work.

The BBMP has taken up preliminary works in connection with the Sarjapur Road widening project and most of the drainage work is near the Wipro office.

Anxious commuters and Wipro employees alerted the fire safety team and the police immediately. The BBMP officials said that GAIL workers were present at the spot when the work was going on.

“Immediately, the nearest gas station was alerted to stop the pumping operations. The GAIL workers then repaired the damage. They took more than an hour,” said Rohin Govindarajan, a Wipro employee.

The traffic was blocked on the road for nearly 90 minutes.

A BBMP official said: “We sought their (GAIL) permission and made sure their workers were present during the drainage work. No harm was caused to anybody as GAIL workers handled the situation carefully. The leak has been plugged and the condition is now normal,” the official said.

“There was no need to divert traffic as the repair work was completed quickly. But the vehicles were stranded for some time after the fire safety team was deployed.” The GAIL has put up warning boards at various points in Sarjapur road and there are also signboards saying that the company should be given prior notice before carrying out any excavation close to the pipeline.