DPR seals filling stations in Bauchi

THE Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) Monday sealed over 10 filling stations in Bauchi for selling PMS above the regulated pump price of N145 per liter just as the scarcity of the commodity bites harder.

Team leader of the Bauchi State office of the DPR disclosed that the measure taken by the Department was in line with the directives from the headquarters in Abuja.

He further said that the Department will ensure that marketers sold the commodity to buyers at the government approved price adding all the sealed stations will not be reopened until appropriate measures were taken on them.

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At the Gokaru and Inkya filling stations along Dass Road, the officials of DPR were seen enforcing the sealing order because the stations were selling at the sum of N220 per liter as against the regulated pump price.

The DPR officials proceeded to Mararraban Liman -Katagum and Dass where they also sealed all the filling stations that were selling above the government pump price.

However, some of the buyers expressed displeasure over the action of the DPR officials lamenting that the action will further put them in untold hardships considering the fact that the commodity is not available in the stations of major marketers while the few independent filling stations have long queues.

Amos Danjuma who was at Gokaru filling station expressed his anger on the activity of the DPR saying that the action will further make life difficult for motorists and other users of PMS who have taken solace in buying it at the sum of N220 per litre rather than buy it at the roadside hawkers who are adulterating  the commodity.

Alhaji Gokaru who is the owner of the Gokaru filling station said that there is no way he will sell the commodity at the approved pump price because according to him he bought it at the cost of N205 from a source he refused to disclose.

He said that if he added the cost of transportation to the amount he got the commodity there is no way he will sell at less than N220 per liter.

As it is now, the fuel scarcity is Bauchi State is biting harder as only a few filling stations are selling at the approved pump price while users have to go through hardships to get it after spending hours on the queue at the stations.