The Warrior Zonal Office of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed two petrol stations in Asaba in continuation of its routine surveillance exercise.
The stations were sealed on Friday over offences bordering on under-dispensing and operating without valid licenses.
They affected stations are Alpha Bykeez Ltd. and Dwell Pet, both situated along the Okpanaun Road.
Mr Bright Ogbeni, the Manager, Upstream of the DPR, led the team of the regulatory agency on the surveillance amid heavy downpour.
Ogbeni addressed newsmen on behalf of the Operations Controller, Warri Zonal Office of the DPR, Mr Antai Asuquo.
“As required, we usually come out routinely to stations dispensing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to ensure they are dispensing the right quantities to the public and also confirmed if they have valid operating licenses.
“We go out routinely not only when there is fuel scarcity, but to ensure the right quality and quantity of product is being delivered to the public at a good metre factor.
“So, that consumers can get values for their money.
“When you dispense PMS above the metre factor that is stipulated by the Federal Government, you are expected to pay a fine to the government.
“We have to ensure that the defaulters rectified their metres to ensure they reflect the quantity they are dispensing, then call on the agency for inspection before re-opening.
“We do the surveillance weekly or bi-weekly, we do random checks without notification because when the marketers know that we are not on the field, they re-adjust their dispensing pumps, ” he said.
Asuquo, who hailed the level of compliance by the stations, said that the agency’s action was a wake-up call for other petroleum marketers to adhere to the rules and regulations guiding the establishment and sale of petroleum and gas products.
“The level of compliance is not too bad, some are under-dispensing and we have deployed corrective measures to ensure they dispense correctly to the public.
“We have something worth emulating at Chronicle Petrol Station, the metre factor is 10.24 which is within the acceptable range,” he said.
The operations controller warned erring marketers against removing the seals without remitting the necessary fine to the government, saying that it would be a criminal offence.
“After paying the fine, the agency will come and unseal the station, ” he said.
Asuquo advised marketers to dispense at the right volume or ready to be sanctioned.
The surveillance team also monitored many gas plants in Asaba.
Officials of the regulatory agency had, on July 23, sealed nine retail outlets and two gas plants in Warri and environs.
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