The Minister of Environment Science Technology and Innovation Mahama Ayariga has called on the top three Oil Marketing Companies (OMC’s) to ensure that filling station outlets using their franchise have legal permits to operate.
The three OMC’s are Total, Goil and Shell.
[contextly_sidebar id=”bEL9OClfjC9IRCWUJFaOrkAdlVgsvKFt”]The minister was speaking after a tour with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess the safety standards of fuel stations in the country.
This tour comes after last Wednesday’s fire at the Goil fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra that killed over 150 people.
During a tour of some of the filling stations it emerged that most of them were being operated these top three OMC’s.
The minister explained that “these outlets are being operated in their names and many of them are multinational” hence the need for them to show concern about the reputation of their brands.
Mahama Ayariga advised that they shouldn’t allow any retailer to operate in their name without the appropriate documentation which according to him “is in clear violation of the law”
In view of this Mahama Ayariga called on the “top three OMC’s” to order non-complying retail outlets who bear their name to cease operartions before the EPA together with the ministry moves round to check.
Four filling stations were closed down during the tour. They are OJK Filling station and Goil filling station both in Darkuman, Total Filling Station at Mallam Junction and Go Gas at the old Kasoa Barrier.
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Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh