The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is embarking on a three-day exercise to clamp down on illegal sales of petroleum products in the Ashanti Region.
The operation is in collaboration with the security agencies, targeting table top sellers of petrol and diesel in the Kumasi metropolis and Ejisu municipality.
Three dealers engaged in the illegal trade in suburbs of Kumasi were arrested on the first day of the exercise on Tuesday, November 18.
The fuel vendors sell petrol in gallons by the streets and other established locations, where fuel is placed in drums and served with the use of huge funnels to fill up gallons and vehicles of clients that turn up.
The NPA believes these table top dealers are either selling products at unapproved prices or engaged in adulteration of products to make higher profit margins.
“We cannot tell at this stage where they get their products from but clearly from the distribution cycle in the industry, no BDC [Bulk Distribution Company] will supply products to peddlers,” noted Yaro Kasambata, Head of Public Relations and Consumer Services at the NPA.
The NPA Act prohibits any person, other than one licensed under the Act, from being in possession of a petroleum product in quantities unreasonably in excess of that person’s immediate requirement.
The fear is that these illegal sales of petroleum products could lead to fire explosions as the dealers of the highly inflammable fuel operate with no safety measure.
Mr. Kasambata says the ongoing operation is to uphold the quality, pricing and safety in retailing of petroleum products.
“We are doing this to ensure that we can sanitize the downstream industry,” he stated. “We want to ensure that standards are applied across board in all aspects of the industry.”
The clamp down will be extended to other parts of the country.
Latest Stories
-
‘That was a lie!’ – Trump lawyer clashes with Michael Cohen in hush-money trial
49 seconds -
At least 56 people dead in Sudan’s North Darfur state, Doctors Without Borders says
46 mins -
Sony Music slams tech giants for unauthorised use of stars’ songs
1 hour -
Check out the nominees list for the 2024 BET Awards
2 hours -
TVET sector stresses need for industry collaboration for skills development
3 hours -
Algerian man found alive in cellar after 26 years
3 hours -
South Africa seeks halt to Israel’s Gaza offensive
3 hours -
DJ Azonto seeks $10m from Bawumia for unauthorised use of his song
3 hours -
Cement price increment worst I have seen in recent times – Executive Secretary, GREDA
4 hours -
Family in shock as missing 12-year-old found dead in Korle Lagoon after Monday’s downpour
5 hours -
Samira Bawumia highlights Ghana’s strides in clean cooking solutions at UNESCO summit in France
5 hours -
US-funded Power Africa Program expands access to clean and affordable energy for Ghanaians
5 hours -
Asantehene’s daughter talks marriage, royal dynamics and cultural understanding
5 hours -
Encroachers on Ghana-Burkina Faso boundary line defy May 5 deadline to relocate
6 hours -
Government must invest in ECG to resolve revenue leakages – IES
6 hours