Gas Explosion;six fuel and gas stations shut down in Mfantiman Municipal Assembly




News trickling in from the Central Region indicates that the Mfantiman Municipal Assembly has closed down six fuel and gas stations in a bid to prevent future explosions.

Confirming this, Kwadwo Nyarko, the Central Regional correspondent for Joy News said, that these stations were closed down for operating illegally.

The operation which started on Monday and saw the closure of Shell filling station in the area is to be replicated in all communities in the Municipality.

Speaking to Citi news, the Municipal Engineer, William A. Kpoti, said the safety exercise is meant to keep standards in the Municipal following the gas explosion in Accra last Saturday. 

He added that a committee has been formed which is spearheading the programme.

"Some of the filling stations have had their fire service permits expired for up to two or three years. Others have their permits with the EPA, expired so we have to close them down. Some have not been paying their property rates as well as their business operating permits. Yesterday (Monday), we closed down the GOIL filling station which is a state company; they had to rush down from Cape Coast to furnish us with their documents before they were allowed to continue their operations."

"We closed down Shell; the committee went through their documents before they were allowed to continue operations." he added.

There have been several of such instances in the past were supervisory agencies close down fuel stations over some infractions, yet few days after, the affected stations are allowed to operate again.

Mr. Kpoti promised that, their move "Is not a nine-day wonder," saying "we are going to maintain it in order to have sanity in our municipality."

Meanwhile in other developments, another gas explosion has occurred at a bakery at Mankessim, four days after the explosion at Atomic Junction in Accra over the weekend which claimed seven lives and several casualties.
 
However, no casualty was recorded except for the destruction of property worth thousands of Ghana Cedis.

Ato Brown of local radio station, Coastal FM confirmed the incident on Adom FM's morning show Dwaso Nsem.

According to him, the gas explosion occurred at a bakery near a Methodist church in the area around 4:am Wenesday.

He indicated that, the owner  claimed the tube connected to the cylinder leaked and suddenly caught fire.

According to him, the owner called the Fire Service but the tender struggled to find an access route to the scene causing the fire to spread to other parts of the house destroying ovens and other cylinders. 


Source:Myjoyonline.com/Citifmonline

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