Most Reverend Titus K. Awotwi Pratt
THE MOST Reverend Titus K. Awotwi Pratt, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, has blamed the constant gas explosions in the country on the regulatory bodies.
He observed with pain that institutions charged to supervise and ensure that gas station operators work according to the laid-down standards and regulations are not living up to expectation.
The Methodist bishop was of the view that such institutions usually err, especially as they don’t do proper background checks before they give permits for petrol and gas stations to be built.
According to him, square pegs have been put in round holes, who are paid for no work done, saying, “The so-called people in authorities are those wrecking our nation.”
Rev Awotwi Pratt’s comments have come after a gas explosion at Atomic Junction in Accra at the weekend which claimed the lives of seven people and injured over 100 others and destroyed valuable properties.
Speaking to newsmen during an induction ceremony at the Methodist Church in Kumasi, Rev Awotwi Pratt said it was about time that people managing key institutions in the country were taken to task.
“People are not doing the work they are supposed to be doing in the country. This is not the first time this has happened,” the man of God openly lamented and stressed that something ought to be done.
“This incident happened where we are told is very close to a filling station and close to a residential area, is that what the law says? he asked with anxiety clearly showing in his face.
According to him, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) also deserve some blame as they are mandated to ensure that the right thing is done.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi