EPA Stops Illegal Filling Station

The petrol tank in a trench
Residents of 'Fitting Junction', near Effia on the Takoradi-Kojokrom road, have indicated that their lives are in danger following an attempt by a certain businessman to put up a petrol filling station right in the middle the residential area.

Some of the residents alleged that despite the fact that most of the people around had spoken against the setting up of the station, work on the project was ongoing.

They asserted that information they gathered indicated that the said businessman is an activist of the ruling National Democratic Congress and so it had become difficult for the city authorities to stop him.

The people around could not fathom why such an enclosed area should be given to someone to operate a filling station.

The residents intimated that the area where the tank to store the gasoline of the filling station would be buried, was the same path children in the area used when going to school.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the area, it was revealed that the area where a trench had been dug for the petrol tank was surrounded by houses.

The paper also gathered that the path used by school children in the area became muddy whenever rain fell on the abandoned clay soil from the trench.

Residents told DAILY GUIDE in separate interviews that it would be proper that the relevant institutions stepped in to halt the project.

According to them, they would be very surprised if the said businessman is given a permit to go ahead with the project.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicated that it had not given anybody a permit to put up a filling station in that area.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on the issue, George Diawuo of the Western regional office of the EPA, said;

“I have personally visited the place after several complaints from the residents. And the EPA has stopped the project because the owner has no permit to work.”

He urged the residents to be rest assured that there would be no petrol filling station in the residential area.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi