Ministry of commerce to check fraudulent gas distribution

In a bid to check fraudulent distribution of gas in cities and towns, several corrective measures were discussed on Tuesday at the Commerce Department.

The three-hour meeting organised by the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana on Tuesday in Yaounde was intended to discuss how to refine the ongoing reforms in the domestic gas distribution sector.

After discussing the general situation, in light of the interventions of other involved jurisdictions (industry, energy, security, environment, etc.) and private actors of the grouping of oil (GPP) including professionals, they announced that the controllers of the Ministry of Commerce will reinforce the campaign against repression and propose interventions as early as January in the field of the distribution of hazardous gas and other oil derivatives.

According to Mindjos Momeny, representative of the Department in charge of industry, the response of the public authorities with regard to the increase in violations of the framework of distribution of certain products will be deployed starting this month of December. It will eliminate all establishments engaged in unauthorised selling, promised the public authorities.

The current measures, such as the requirement for an instrument for weighing for sale at retail, which is the responsibility for the seller, is not operative, acknowledged Mr. Mbarga Atangana.

Participants were cautioned against the temptation to tamper with gas cylinders in order to reduce the content or fill them insufficiently, activities at the origin of the recent disaster which saw 3,000 bottles shattered in Yaoundé. Solutions of increased protection of these products were summarized and discussed at a round table.

In the meantime, some operators suggested to consumers that they should stay vigilance when purchasing gas. They admonished all to in ensure that the CAP which serves as a seal on number of bottles are origional.