The National Petroleum Authority(NPA) has closed down three fuel stations in the Bono Regional capital, Sunyani, for cheating consumers.
A team led by Kwadwo Odarno Appiah and Eunice Budu Nyarko, Bono Regional Manager and Head of Consumer Services, respectively, embarked on a random exercise to monitor the operations of fuel stations to ensure consumers have value for money.
During the visit, the team discovered that the stations dispensed less fuel than the quantity consumers paid for.
The stations are Frimps Oil, Goil and Engen, all in Sunyani.
All seven dispensing pumps at Frimps Oil were under-delivering, while Goil and Engen had under-delivering two and four dispensing units.
However, the NPA realized that other pumps at the stations were dispensing more fuel than the customers paid for.
Mr Kwadwo Odarno Appiah said that the stations were going to be sanctioned.
“The Authority will require a report on investigations carried out by the stations as to what caused the anomalies of the nozzles”.
He also cautioned all fuel stations to refrain from using ramps and shaking vehicles when dispensing fuel.
“The NPA will not hesitate to lock temporarily stations caught using ramps,” he warned.
Meanwhile, the team also took the opportunity to sensitize commercial drivers and traders at the Nana Bosoma market, popularly known as the Wednesday Market in the Sunyani Municipal area, on the safe use of petroleum products.
Similarly, in July 2022, NPA closed down some fuel stations in the Western Region for tampering with their fuel pumps in order cheat customers to maximize profit.
The exercise came in the wake of frequent complaints about some stations adjusting their pumps to cheat their customers.
Speaking on the matter, the Head of Consumer Services at the NPA, Eunice Budu Nyarko, indicated that it was an offence for fuel service stations to pump fuel for sale to customers below the required litre.
