By Gladys Fred Kole
Central Equatoria State State government suspends establishment of new petrol stations in Juba City.
This development comes after a fuel tanker caught fire in Gumbo on Sunday night.
In a meeting convened on Sunday, the state governor, Emmanuel Adil Anthony noted that existing fuel stations within Juba City need to be reviewed due to threat to public safety.
The meeting, attended by city authorities and state security personnel, engaged in extensive discussions on the matter and reached a resolution.
One resolve is to effect immediate suspension and review of the all-mapped petrol stations within Juba City that don’t meet the required safety standards of operations.
More measures are also to be imposed on illegal erected structures on all government reverses-roads, including schools.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, the state security and peace Advisor, Angelo Daya disclosed that a committee is poised to revisit and identify areas necessary for action, ensuring taking prompt measures.
“The issue to do with the illegal petrol station constructed without proper documentation within the city council in which the resolutions that have been formed by the governor, they will revisit and identify the petrol station that will either not be good because of the resident and they have to be advised immediately,” he said.
According to the advisor, individuals who offer the private plots to investors for petrol stations must refrain from the practice.
“For those who have given their own their places out to the companies that erected petrol stations are advised from now onwards, not to do that and they should not have any agreements,” he stated.
The fuel explosion in Gumbo is one of the latest incidents in the country after another which happened last month in Wau, Western Bahr-el-Ghazal State where two offices and two cars were destroyed.
The National minister of petroleum, Puot Kang Chol, last year, warned against construction of fuel stations near residential areas, markets, hospitals and schools.
He said, apart from the risk of fire, there are pollutions against citizens caused by gases produced by the fuel.