|
|
Liberia: LPRC, Commerce Get Tough With "Hoarders"
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Inquirer (Monrovia)
17 March 2008
Posted to the web 17 March 2008
A rigid mapping exercise intended to rid unscrupulous business entity and individuals involved in hiking the prize of petroleum product especially gasoline, yesterday commenced in Monrovia, with the inspectorate division of the Ministry of Commerce leading the exercise.
A team from the Liberian Petroleum Refining Company (LPMC) also forms part of the team, which visited mainly the Sinkor area to rid filling stations that were reportedly engaged in the hoarding of gasoline on the market.
The Chief Inspector General of the Ministry of Commerce Madam Makatia Wreh led the team that carried out the exercise from the field division of the ministry.
LPRC Head of Public Relations Madam Yonbleh Karngar was also seem with the commerce ministry team, when the exercise was being enforce according to our reporter who formed part of the team.
During the exercise, the team visited the PMS Filling Station, where several drivers and other customers of petroleum product troop in large number to purchase gasoline. The filling station, was one of the only gas station around the Sinkor vicinity that were selling gasoline, up to 7:00 pm yesterday when the commerce ministry team visited the station.
During the team stay at the station, Madam Wreh said when she visited the filling station, she was earlier informed by the dealers that there was no gas at the station, while for others that visited there with the anticipation of purchasing the commodity, they are inform to present gas slip before they are serve.
Madam Wreh said contrary to the filling station earlier position that there were no gasolines at the station, the authority there later decided to sell the gas late yesterday evening. They were reportedly selling the commodity at the stipulated government of Liberia US$2:30 pump price.
When the ministry's team arrived, the inspector general ordered her team members to conduct a test of all the filling station's man whole, and in the process, it was discovered that some quantity of gas was stock pack contrary to the claims of the authority to the Inspector General that there was no gas at the station.
Madam Wreh, later ordered her men to lock and seal up the station supply system on grounds that there were attempt to hoarder the commodity at the detriment of the consuming public.
The team later moved to SP Gas Station also in Sinkor, where it was later discovered that some close to 1,000 gallon of the commodity were in stock where in fact the station has closed its doors to customers. The team alleged that the gas were in stock with the intend that the owners of the station would hoarder the commodity and later have it sold above the approved price.
But the Mr. Ansu Konneh, who claimed to be the proprietor of the station said the commodity were in stock to serve some of the major customers of the station who have entered into legitimate contract with the entity. He said contrary to the claim that the gas is being kept because the station want to hike the commodity they have been supplying their customers and selling to vehicles operators.
But a source hinted this paper that the station is taking precaution because there are reports that the price of the commodity may so go up above the currently stipulated price as the government is studying a proposal from the importers to increase the pump price.
|
SP facilities were also sealed up and according to inspector Wreh, any attempt to burst up the locks, would land the SP management in big trouble with the government. Also, during the exercise the International Gas Station was also inspected and sealed up.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Inquirer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
