National Petroleum Authority has advised the public against patronizing fuel being sold on tabletop outlets.
According to the Bono Regional Manager of the NPA, Kwadwo Appiah, the quality of petrol and diesel being sold at those outlets can of compromised quality and thereby crack vehicle engines.
Describing such acts as ”illegal and dangerous”, Mr. Appiah said the NPA is collaborating with the Police to clamp down on and prosecute the dealers.
He gave the advice when he responded to a question on the activities of the tabletop petroleum dealers, which is gaining prominence in the region at a media engagement on petroleum pricing formula post deregulation on fuel quality, organized by the Authority for selected Media Practitioners in Sunyani.
Activities of the table top dealers are common mostly in Communities in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region, as well as Pru East, Pru West, among others.
Most often, because their activities are illegal, the dealers move from Community to Community along major highways to outwit the Police, and to sell their products to particularly motorbike and tricycle riders as well as chainsaw operators.
Mr Appiah explained that the NPA is currently under-studying the situation and building a database on the activities of the dealers to be able to fish them out and called on the media to help create awareness about the dangers of buying such products.
”NPA has developed electronic tracking devises that monitor the movement of petroleum products from depots to locations in order to ensure that petrol and diesel were not diluted”, he disclosed.
He said high quality petrol and diesel remains the hallmark of the authority at all the 4,000 retail outlets across the country, stressing that they are monitoring to ensure that the various retail outlets meet specifications and standards.
