[ 2017-10-09 ]

Deputy NADMO boss, Abu Ramadan

Petrochemical workers opposed gov’t's new policy on gas explosions – Abu Ramadan
Joy News has learnt government’s policy to
arrest the spate of gas explosions in the country
has been resisted by some petrochemical workers.

Deputy NADMO boss, Abu Ramadan told Joy News’
Elton Brobbey Monday the Energy Ministry has been
working on the document for the past five and a
half months but it faced resistance from industry
players.

He explained some petrochemical workers cautioned
the Ministry to disregard the policy because its
implementation will not “inure to their
benefit.”

But after last Saturday’s gas explosion at
Atomic Junction near Madina in Accra, Mr Ramadan
said the workers have shifted their position on
the policy.

“The Ministry said they are coming around [and]
particularly with this incident, I don’t think
they won’t support a plan of this nature,” he
said.

Safety standards at the various filling stations
have come under scrutiny after the Atomic Junction
gas explosion led to the death of seven people,
with 134 others injured.

Some Ghanaians have blamed the National Petroleum
Authority (NPA) and Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for granting permits to the gas
station.

CEO of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo
Hosi told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story,
some “people should be fired” for the
tragedy.

He noted people who have been put in place of
trust “need to feel the pain of letting down the
whole country” when their negligence leads to
casualties.

“The idea of having safety measures is good
[and] we do not have any objection to that
[because] it is something we have asked the
Ministry before,” he reacted to government
decision to implement new safety measures.

In the coming days government will announce its
new policy to combating gas explosions if Cabinet
adopts the document at its Thursday meeting.

Although he refused to delve into details of the
policy, Mr Ramadan has asked Ghanaians to support
the new measures when it is made public.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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