— Govt. calls for setting up up of fuel stations by individuals

Govt. calls for setting up up of fuel  stations by individuals

Pemba, 25th September, 2014, ZANIS – Government has called on the private  entrepreuneurs and individuals to consider setting up filling stations in Pemba district to ensure a steady supply of  the commodity in the area.

And ERB Senior Manager for Consumer Affairs Fred Hangandu says his organisation had put up standards to provide an enabling environment to set up filling stations in all districts for the benefit of the local people.

Pemba District Commisioner Reginald Mugoba says following  government’s recent introduction of uniform prices for petroleum products throughout the country, there was an enabling environment for a fuel station in the area.

Mr. Mugoba  said he was sadenned to note that Pemba District had not yet benefited from the uniform prices measure as there were  still no filling stations in the district despite the increased demand over the years.

ZANIS reports that the D.C said this yesterday when officiating at the Energy workshop at Pemba Catholic Hall organised by the Enery regulation Board(ERB) to discuss Energy issues in the district.

He noted that the lack of filling stations in the district has led to the proliferation of illegal fuel vending adding that the quality sold by illegal vendors could not be guaranteed as it was usually mixed with other harmful substances.

“You see the storage of fuel is also improper and can lead to damage of motor vehicles and there are safety risks associated with the storage of illegal fuel in homes and other undesignated areas, which has resulted in fires leading to loss of property,personal injuries or even loss of life,” he said.

He thanked the ERB for choosing to open a regional office in Livingstone which was closer to Pemba so that its presence would make it easy for Energy consumers and investors in the region to obtain requisite guidance on Energy issues,as well as register complaints when they are not satisfied with the quality of service by service providers.

And ERB Senior Manager for Consumer Affairs Fred Hangandu says his organisation had put up standards to provide an enabling environment to set up filling stations in all districts for the benefit of the local people.

Mr. Hangandu  however warned that it was illegal for anyone to sell fuel to the public without a licence.

He  and disclosed that strict laws would be put in place where all loop-holes would be sealed.