The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, yesterday ordered the immediate suspension of the construction of a new fuel station at Ashale Botwe in Accra.
The construction, being carried out by GOIL PLC, he said would be halted until thorough due diligence was conducted.
The order by the Minister was in response to protests from residents of Ashaley Botwe, who expressed concerns about the proximity of the fuel station to their homes and the potential danger it poses to their lives.
During the protest, residents, wearing red bands to symbolise their discontent, emphasised that the area was primarily residential and expressed worries about the narrow road that would hinder safe passage for fuel tankers to discharge.
“We don’t need any fuel station here, we don’t need it. This place is a residential area, our houses are closer to the place and our children pass here to school. The road is even too small so where will the tanker pass to discharge, so we don’t need the fuel station here,” some residents narrated.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Quartey said that the location of the fuel station posed a significant risk to the community’s residents.
He added that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be contacted to investigate how permission was granted for such a development in a residential area.
He explained that, although the government would not stop any citizen or investor from investing to create jobs, such projects should be undertaken in consideration of the welfare, security, and wellbeing of the community.
“Taking cognisance of what happened at Atomic Junction, this clearly cannot hold. I want to, on behalf of Regional Security Council (REGSEC) say that going forward all works here must be suspended until further notice.
We will also write to EPA to find out how they arrived at granting permits for something like this to happen here. I am not an expert but this petrol station cannot be cited here,” Mr Quartey added.
