Audio By Carbonatix
LPG operators have withdrawn from a government committee set up to address the rising spate of gas explosions.
The Association of the operators says their concerns have been ignored during a meeting of the Cylinder Re-distribution Policy Implementation committee.
Ghana recorded its eighth gas explosion in three years when an explosion at a fuel station at Atomic Junction in Accra left seven dead and 134 injured.
After a Cabinet meeting on October 12, 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo on the advice of Cabinet directed that the Cylinder Recirculation Module on the distribution of LPG be implemented.
This means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centres and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets.
Also, low-risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles.
The policy which had been shelved since 2012 will run alongside current practice where consumers take their empty cylinders to the gas refill centres, until after a year when it will become fully operational.
The committee supervising the policy implementation now faces a setback after one of the stakeholders announced it withdrawal for lack of cooperation.
President of the Ghana LPG Operators Association Torgbi Adaku V said on Top Story on Joy FM, he has been treated unfairly during committee hearings.
"Anytime I raise my hand. I am not called', he told host Evans Mensah Monday and added a question he asked during a meeting was once overruled.
Beyond the ill-treatment he complained of, the President of the Association was emphatic that the full implementation of the policy in its current form will "destroy our business."
He wants the policy to run alongside the existing practice which invites clients to go to fuel stations to fill their cylinders.
He rejects claims that the siting of gas stations within dense residential quarters is partly to be blamed for the explosions.
He believes proper regulation and monitoring is all that is needed to curb the menace of gas explosions.
The Association expressed fears last December that the policy implementation could lead to job losses at gas stations.
The government also faces some resistance from the Association of LPG Marketers which threatened to take legal action against the government over the LPG re-distribution policy.
The Association voiced similar concerns about job losses expressed by the Ghana LPG Operators Association over the implementation of the 'business-killing' redistribution policy.
After a Cabinet meeting on October 12, 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo on the advice of Cabinet directed that the Cylinder Recirculation Module on the distribution of LPG be implemented.
This means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centres and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets.
Also, low-risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles.
The policy which had been shelved since 2012 will run alongside current practice where consumers take their empty cylinders to the gas refill centres, until after a year when it will become fully operational.
The committee supervising the policy implementation now faces a setback after one of the stakeholders announced it withdrawal for lack of cooperation.
President of the Ghana LPG Operators Association Torgbi Adaku V said on Top Story on Joy FM, he has been treated unfairly during committee hearings.
"Anytime I raise my hand. I am not called', he told host Evans Mensah Monday and added a question he asked during a meeting was once overruled.
Beyond the ill-treatment he complained of, the President of the Association was emphatic that the full implementation of the policy in its current form will "destroy our business."
He wants the policy to run alongside the existing practice which invites clients to go to fuel stations to fill their cylinders.
He rejects claims that the siting of gas stations within dense residential quarters is partly to be blamed for the explosions.
He believes proper regulation and monitoring is all that is needed to curb the menace of gas explosions.
The Association expressed fears last December that the policy implementation could lead to job losses at gas stations.
The government also faces some resistance from the Association of LPG Marketers which threatened to take legal action against the government over the LPG re-distribution policy.
The Association voiced similar concerns about job losses expressed by the Ghana LPG Operators Association over the implementation of the 'business-killing' redistribution policy.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Mahama to review IMANI petition on insurance sector concerns – Kwakye Ofosu
2 minutes -
Road Safety Authority embarks on nationwide sensitisation ahead of Easter festivities
3 minutes -
Government reaffirms commitment to combat Human Trafficking at first 2026 HTMB meeting
23 minutes -
TaxForGalamsey: Awula Serwah slams ‘ignorance’ defence in levy scandal, demands sanctions for MMDCEs
46 minutes -
Collecting levies from galamseyers is wrong; sanctions must be enforced – Kenneth Ashigbey
55 minutes -
BeTechConnected launches Future of Work Africa Podcast to amplify African voices on jobs, innovation
1 hour -
Rejecting pesewa coins is illegal, fuels inflation – BoG warns traders
2 hours -
New Juabeng MP seeks details on GRA’s customs AI system
2 hours -
TaxForGalamsey: Levies were institutional, not personal – Kwakye Ofosu explains lack of sanctions
2 hours -
Feeding Hungry Pupils: 38-year-old female teacher initiates food bank to promote teaching and learning at Abankoro
2 hours -
Education Minister announces 2027 start date for Jomoro College project in Western Region
2 hours -
‘Sit us down and explain ‘it’—Customs agents raise alarm over new GRA AI system
2 hours -
Gov’t commits GH¢25m seed fund to Ghana Defence University project
2 hours -
Fighters condemns PAC Chair Abena Osei-Asare over Agbana comments; renew call for inclusive politics
2 hours -
72 Days to Mundial: Ghana’s risky gamble after sacking Otto Addo
2 hours
