The donation is in response to calls on corporate Ghana, by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to support the victims of the gas explosion which claimed at least seven lives and severely injuring over 130 others.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AH8McfyCliPCRHcnj85oQVy6TEFQAP0e”]The country manager of Conserveria Distribution Ghana Ltd., Mr. Vishal Dogra, made the donation on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, to the 37 Military Hospital authorities in Accra.

Receiving the donation on behalf of the hospital and patients, Colonel MA Yeboah-Agyapong, the Commanding Officer of the 37 Military Hospital was full of praise for the generous donation from Conserveria Distribution Ghana Ltd.

“I want to thank GINO products for the timely donation of food which is very much needed at this point. I am touched because you realize that the patients need to eat food and not only take drugs.”

He encouraged Ghanaians to donate more for the victims.

“We also want to thank our benefactor Mr. Herbert Mensah who has been going round and soliciting help for us. I wish other Ghanaians will emulate his passion for helping people who are in need”, Col. MA Yeboah-Agyapong added.

Conserveria Distribution Ghana Ltd is the sole distributor of GINO line of food products in Ghana, including GINO tomato paste, GINO rice, GINO mackerel, GINO spaghetti and many more.

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Source: 3news

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According to him, the NPA has failed woefully in its supervisory roles.

Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue, on Saturday, Mr. Namoale insisted that the NPA boss must go.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GLuBjYZzHYFz1ehgcuwWAEfS2pYE65L3″]“I was surprised the NPA boss was not sacked and no NPA person has been sacked. I was expecting him to be sacked. This is because [President] Nana Addo promised that he was going to be a very proactive and effective president. They [NPP government] said the Atomic Junction gas explosion was going to be the last one, but there was gas leakage at Mawarko in my constituency – everybody was running helter-skelter. If it had happened, will that be the last one? Let us not use kid gloves to solve this problem.”

7 perish in Atomic junction gas explosion

Seven people perished whilst 132 others sustained injuries, when a gas station at Atomic Junction near Madina went up in flames on Saturday, October 7.

The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained by the security service.

The Government has since announced some measures after a crucial emergency meeting to deal with the menace of explosions at fuel stations.

The measures include the closure of high-risk fuel stations which is ongoing, the cessation of the construction of new fuel stations to allow for proper safety audit, and the implementation of the cylinder re-circulation policy expected to happen within a year.

But the former legislator NDC legislator said if this had occurred in “advanced countries, the NPA boss would have resigned.”

“This is because when an LPG truck moves from Tema to go and discharge [gas] anywhere in the country, there are rules and regulations governing it. Who follows up to know whether the driver is doing what he’s supposed to do. So if I call for the head of NPA, I’m not calling because of politics,” the Namoale argued.

Ghana has seen about eight major gas explosions in the last four years, apart from the major fire and flood disaster that killed some 150 people in 2015, when a gas petrol/diesel station went up in flames at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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According to him, the order is in the best interest of Ghanaians.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KJxwCDb1F9cuMtxrZoKWnzhNfP95IVzX”]In the wake of the Atomic Junction gas explosion, the construction of petrol/diesel and LPG filling points, is to cease immediately until further notice, the government has stated.

This directive formed part of nine safety measures outlined by the Presidency after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

A statement from the government noted that, President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered the “immediate cessation, until further notice, of all construction of facilities intended for use as gas or petroleum retail stations.”

The directive follows the massive explosion at an LPG filling station at Atomic Junction that has so far claimed at least seven lives and injured over 100 persons.

But a former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mahama Ayariga, said the government may be infringing on the rights of some fuel distributors over the directive

In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, he said he embarked on a similar move while a sector minister in the previous government, but found out that he could not be successful because the action did not have a legal basis.

“I did similar things and in all fairness, very often I was challenged by people based on law and they were able to show that clearly, in many of the instances, I was wrong,” he noted.

He there advised the government to “analyze every one of them [fuel stations] to see the legal basis for such decisions, and such directives” before any concrete action is taken in this regard.

But Mustapha Hamid on Eyewitness News said there was no complexity in the directive, and that government had the power to issue such a directive.

He noted that, the state had empowered agencies to carry-out such actions, adding that, the directive was only for a short period to allow for a proper audit of the sector.

“This is a country where institutions have been endowed with the power to ensure that people are building structures in accordance with law. So if the president says let us put a stop to the buildings and let us go and see whether the people who are putting it up are doing it according to specifications as enshrined in existing laws, I don’t see how that can be unconstitutional…When the audit is done, those that are cleared to continue can continue,” he said.ss

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The module, proposed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), will ensure that LPG filling points are sited out of densely populated areas and commercial centres.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Op7GOwK3dQrYfklkcjRt0z0i2mAMHOVn”]This is unlikely to go down well with the LPG Marketers Association and the Association of Gas Tanker Drivers, who have in the past kicked against this proposal, citing job losses and other negative impacts on their businesses.

The President expects this and many other directives issued after Thursday’s cabinet meeting, to be implemented within a year.

A statement from the government after the much-anticipated cabinet meeting on Thursday said: “At the Cabinet meeting of 12th October 2017, the President of the Republic, on the advice of Cabinet, directed that henceforth the Cylinder Recirculation Model of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution be implemented.”

“This model means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centers and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets. Low-risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles. This whole exercise must be completed within one year.”

These directives followed the public outcry in the wake of the massive explosion at an LPG filling station at Atomic Junction.

That explosion has so far claimed at least seven lives and injured over 100 persons. The loss of lives even touched closer to the Presidency, as a presidential correspondent for Net 2 TV lost his life in the commotion sparked by the explosion.

The outrage over the explosion was the culmination of widespread concern over the lax safety standards of some LPG and petrol filling stations, which have seen about eight major explosions since 2014, not counting the June 3 fire and flood disaster at a petrol station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

Find below the full statement from the Presidency, which also outlines nine safety measures ordered by the President after the Cabinet meeting.

NEW GOVERNMENT REGULATORY MEASURES, FOLLOWING GAS EXPLOSION AT ATOMIC JUNCTION

On the evening of 7th October 2017, the nation was shaken by a horrible gas explosion at Atomic Junction in Accra, which led to the loss of seven lives, 132 injuries and the destruction of valuable property. In the past three years, we have been subjected to eight such incidents of explosions. This latest incident was one too many, which we must take all necessary steps to bring to an end.

The importance of gas, and its use in our national economy, requires that we must develop and enforce regulations and practices, and deploy technology to ensure the safe use of gas and safety of our citizens.

At the Cabinet meeting of 12th October 2017, the President of the Republic, on the advice of Cabinet, directed that henceforth the Cylinder Recirculation Model of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution be implemented. This model means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centers and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets. Low risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles. This whole exercise must be completed within one year.

In the interim, the President has directed that the following steps be taken to give comfort to and ensure the safety of our citizens:

1. immediate inspection of all gas stations and the vigorous enforcement of existing regulations by the National Petroleum Authority;
2. review of the current licensing regime to ensure that only those with demonstrable capacity and competence engage in the LPG distribution business;
3. institution of mandatory training and certification of the staff of Regulators, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies to ensure the safe handling of LPG;
4. review the safety protocols along the entire value chain through the combined efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), National Fire Service (NFS), Town and Country Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Factories Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations;
5. deployment of a task force, within 30 days, to assess the risk that our current LPG infrastructure poses in terms of public health and safety. High risk stations will be immediately closed down, in accordance with relevant law and without regard to any political or special interests. Low risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas for vehicles with improved safety standards;
6. the immediate incorporation of standards and guidelines developed by Ghana Standards Authority on the handling, storage and distribution of LPG and other petroleum products as technical regulations to strengthen the enforcement regime;
7. the recruitment by NPA of 200 safety auditors to join the staff of the Factories Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to check regularly on all stations to ensure full compliance with safety standards and practices;
8. expedition of action by the Fire Service and the Police Service of on-going investigations. Any operator or regulatory official, against whom any act of criminal negligence is established, will face the full rigors of the law;
9. immediate cessation, until further notice, of all construction of facilities intended for use as gas or petroleum retail stations.

The safety of citizens is the paramount objective of Government, and the President will take all necessary steps to ensure that citizens are safe.

……signed……

Hon. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid

Minister for Information

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Fuel explosions are again in the spotlight following the multiple explosions at a Liquefied Petroleum Gas filling point at Atomic Junction in Accra, which has so far claimed seven lives and injured scores.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ofCNQAZqqxeEwu360T6cHseLiBHwHnbE”]The massive explosions occurred at the MANSCO gas station near the University of Ghana, sparking widespread panic in surrounding areas.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, after the explosion, served notice to all stakeholders that tough decisions will be made, with some compromise from the industry players expected.

“Cabinet will be meeting on Thursday, and I believe that out of that meeting, the country will know what our programme is – the comprehensive programme – that we intend to have to bring such incidents to a stop. The one that happened [Saturday], is one too many, we cannot afford more of that,” the President said during his visit.

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also noted that the resistance to reforms proposed will be futile, particularly in the sale of and siting of LPG filling stations.

“…I think what Ghanaians want is solid policy to deal with this matter once and for all. We are going to move to deal with it. It’s not about committees and committees and nothing gets done. We owe it to the country, and government is going to take this very seriously. Discussions were being held last night about the way forward.”

“Some new policies are going to come in and those who are going to try to resist those policies, I don’t think they will be listened to because it is important for us to put the safety of our people above everything else,” the Vice President said.

The siting of fuel filling stations in residential and densely populated areas remain a point of concern with the public, and it appears the National Petroleum Authority’s Cylinder Recirculation Module is a policy that could cater for the public’s concerns.

The policy seeks to ensure the safe distribution of LPG by limiting the number of filling stations, which the LPG Marketers Association and the Association of Gas Tanker Drivers have kicked against.

Given the concerns of Ghanaians, it would appear that only a policy limiting the number of fuel stations around them will assuage their fears.

Residents of Ritz junction in Accra, for example, on Sunday staged a demonstration to demand the removal of a Gas Station located in the area, in the aftermath of the Atomic explosion.

Students of the University of Professional Studies, UPSA, Accra, protested against the siting of a fuel station next to its campus.

But the LPG Marketing Companies Association believes the explosion should ginger regulatory authorities and all stakeholders in the industry “to concentrate on creating a robust safety regime of procedure, supervision and monitoring function.”

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, is also more concerned about ensuring stringent safety measures.

“Maybe safety measures [need to be focused on], beginning from home because I believe that more people die in their kitchens than die from such accidents [explosions] because we don’t adhere to certain simple basic measures. You have to examine your gas stove, see whether it is working,” the minister said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, such an action, if backed by a court order would serve as a deterrent to operators of such Liquefied Petroleum Gas refill points not to compromise on safety regulations and standards.

[contextly_sidebar id=”LxzgwmDWomxNmMTST2UQX1SBjHXYT2mJ”]The Former Environment Minister’s comments follow the explosion on Saturday that has so far claimed seven lives, and rekindled conversations about safety and the possible complicity of stakeholders in fuel distribution.

Speaking to Citi News, Mahama Ayariga indicated that, victims should consider taking legal action against the owners of the gas depot.

He reminded that, there were legal remedies available and “said [a class action lawsuit] was one of the things that needed to happen.”

After some major explosions in the past, the government has stepped in to foot medical bills of victims and sometimes paid for funeral costs.

But Mr. Ayariga believes the government’s intervention allows the companies involved in these accidents of the hook.

“Very often, after all the talking, that doesn’t happen so facility owners who have caused such damage get away with it. There is no reason why our tax money should be used to pay compensation to those who suffer injury as a result of this accident.”

He added that the person who caused the accident and the insurance companies “should also feel it a bit by being held accountable so that next time insurance companies will increase the premium, and then if the person loses his property in an effort to pay compensation and damages, he will be more stringent with his managers.”

LPG distributors shift blame

The LPG Marketing Companies Association of Ghana, has tried to downplay concerns that LPG stations are slowly becoming death traps amid calls for the cessation of on-site dispensing of LPG, and the expected Cylinder Re-circulation module.

A spokesperson for the LPG Marketing Companies dismissed these assertions and attributed Saturday’s incident to a failure by the attendants at the gas station to use the electric discharge pumps which had been put in place for the dispensing of gas into the Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs).

However, the Fire Service is yet to conclude investigations into the explosion to ascertain the exact cause.

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By: Duke Mensah Opoku & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“When we have such disasters within a neighborhood, it calls for the structural integrity analysis of that stretch of the road including other buildings within the area that might have been affected…It is not far-fetched for the Department of Urban Roads to conduct a structural analysis of that stretch of the road and other structures in the area,” he noted in a Citi News interview.

[contextly_sidebar id=”n2x7LJIZBHRRKQcewR4j9qqL70H3UBI1″]Mr. Abdulai said these checks need to be done “to clear doubts of anybody who uses the flyover in the aftermath of the opening of the bridge to motorists and pedestrians alike.”

The Engineer maintained that, premium should be placed on conducting these checks, given the far-reaching impact of the gas explosion since occupants of buildings located several meters away reported some tremor.

“Some people all the way in Ashaley Botwe said they felt the impact,” he added.

7 people were killed, with 132 others injured as two gas explosions occurred at Atomic junction in Accra.

The explosions left many structures destroyed with some vehicles totally burnt.

There have been suggestions that the impact of the development will include weakened foundations of some nearby structures which may be dangerous to inhabit, until proper engineering works are carried out to guarantee their safety.

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By: Marie-Franz Fordjoe/citifmonline/Ghana

The post Engineer demands structural audit around Atomic explosion site appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The president disclosed this when relatives of the late cameraman and management of Kencity, owners of Net 2 TV and Oman FM, paid the president a visit at the Flagstaff House, to formally inform him of the demise of Ashley.

Reports indicate that, the deceased, who lived close to the area, rushed to the scene with his camera upon hearing the explosive sounds.

While recording, he reportedly jumped off the footbridge because he panicked and suffered an excruciating death.

According to the CEO of Kencity, Stella Agyapong, a visit to the morgue, showed that the late reporter sustained severe injuries to his head and burns from the explosion.

Chief Executive Officer of Ken City, Stella Agyapong eulogized the late reporter.

“Mohammed being a camera man took the other direction when everyone was running in the opposite direction so he could get footage. We went to the morgue to see him and he was severely burnt, ” she lamented.

A total of seven people perished, whereas 132 others sustained various degrees of injury. Six of the dead are yet to be identified.

Mohammed Ashley, a muslim, is expected to be buried tomorrow [Tuesday]. Mohammed is not married, and has no kids. He is the second of seven children.

Ghanaian Times Presidential correspondent died in 2015

A Ghanaian Times reporter, Samuel Nuamah, also a member of the presidential press corps, died in a car accident in 2015, whiles some of his colleagues sustained injuries.

The journalists were returning to Accra from the Volta Region after covering then President, John Dramani Mahama, who had delivered a speech at the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church convention.

The accident occurred around Dawhwenya in the Greater Accra Region.

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By:Marie-Franz Fordjoe/citifmonline/Ghana

The post Nana Addo to personally pay for presidential correspondent’s funeral appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Seven people were confirmed dead in the aftermath of the blast, while 132 people sustained varying degrees of injury.

68 are receiving treatment, while 64 others have been discharged from the various hospitals across the capital.

The President, who had been on a tour of the Northern Region when the incident occurred, had tweeted earlier that he was devasted by the lives that had been lost to the explosion.

Nana Akufo-Addo also visited the site of the blast accompanied by a number of government officials

He was then briefed on the current situation by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Hassan Tampuli.

The residents of Atomic Junction in Madina were thrown into a state of panic following the explosion at the gas station which spread to adjacent structures.

The huge fireball from the explosion could be seen with many people in the vicinity taking to their heels in a bid to escape the blaze.

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, had earlier visited the survivors of the explosion where he sympathized with them and wished them speedy recovery.

He had said early on that government will foot the medical bills of the injured persons, as efforts are being made to introduce a policy that will sanitize the fuel retail sector to avoid such explosions.

Nearly 30 lives have been lost to about eight gas explosions in the last four years, aside the twin disaster of flood and fire on June 3, 2015, which killed nearly 150 people.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nana Addo visits gas explosion victims, blast site [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, authorities at these institutions have failed to do proper checks before allowing owners of Petrol and Gas stations to set up at their places of business.

[contextly_sidebar id=”eB1u8cIIFuJyc1vR7i0IQE4ywdKtaQ6l”]The Most Reverend, Titus K. Awotwi Pratt, made the remarks a day after seven people died, and 40 others sustained injuries in a Gas explosion at Atomic Junction in Accra on Saturday.

The Bishop who spoke to Citi News at an induction ceremony in Kumasi, wants persons at the helm of affairs at these intuitions taken to task.

“My opinion is that, people are not doing the work they are supposed to be doing in this country. This is not the first time this has happened. This incident happened where we are told it’s very close to another filling Station and close to a residential area, is that what the law says? Where petrol stations and Gas stations are sited, what does the law say? I think there are regulations. That is why I am saying those responsible for these things ought to be taken to task”.

He called for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be taken to task since it is responsible for issuing permits to owners of Petrol and Gas stations in the country.

He indicated that the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) should also take a share of the blame since they are also mandated to ensure that the right things were done.

The Most Reverend Awotwi Pratt cited a situation where residents lost a court case to an owner of a Gas station after they protested the siting of the facility in the area.

He further said the facility was later closed down when a fire occurred there, questioning the pro-activeness of leaders in Ghana.

He described authorities at the regulatory institutions as “Square pegs in Round holes” who are paid for no work done.

He maintained that “the so-called people in authorities are those who are wrecking our nation. The rich, the so-called political powerful people are wrecking out nation.”

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana.

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