The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, has cautioned the general public against operating or building their homes near gas stations.

A speech read on behalf of the Energy Minister by his deputy, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, said that the siting of buildings near gas stations is a contributory factor to the frequent gas explosions in the country.

“Sometimes these installations are already there before we build our structures near them. So, in most cases, the consuming public and other users of land often disregard safety warnings and operate near petroleum installations or building structures close to such installations.

They then turn around to request the NPA to close down such installations. This is not acceptable”, the Deputy Minister in charge of Petroleum read.

He also warned the general public to desist from patronizing such gas stations which endanger them.

“I will also like to caution the general public to be sensitive to their surroundings and be bold to resist the temptation of patronizing services of stations that expose them to extreme danger,” he added.

He made a call on the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority as well as the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, who ‘plan our cities and issue building permits to people, to take cognizance of this imperative and ensure that the safety of people in their jurisdictions become their utmost responsibility’.

He charged the NPA to work with the Local Government Service and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority to address this disturbing phenomenon.