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The Ghana Liquefied Petroleum and Gas Association (GLIPGOA), has said it is unhappy about recent media comments that describe their operations as a time bomb.

The Association says it was also not enthused about the approach of the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology to close down some filling stations in the country.

The Ministry in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently embarked on a nationwide operation to close down fuel and gas stations that were sited at residential areas.

The sector Minister, Mahama Ayariga who visited the stations described their operations as a time bomb.

This was in response to the public uproar that came up after the June,3 disaster that hit the Greater Accra Region.

Over hundred lives were lost and several other properties destroyed in the twin disaster that threw the nation into a state of shock. Some fuel and gas stations in Accra and Kumasi where given deadlines to halt their operations as a way of preventing a recurrence of the June, 3 disaster.

But the GLIPCOA expressed worry over the development and wants the sector Minister to retract his comment.

Ashanti Regional Secretary of the Association, Mr Kofi Darko, said their operations were never time bomb because they had gone through the right procedures before establishing the fuel and gas stations.

“It does not take hundred cedis, it takes Billions of cedis to establish this type of business and none of the dealers is praying for such disaster to happen,” he stressed.

He added that they were licensed by the EPA, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) before setting up their stations.

He is therefore appealing to Government to consult the dealers to address such concerns rather than taking actions that will worsen the situation.

Mr Darko, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Frimps Oil Company Limited, challenged Government to halt all operations at the Atuabo Gas Production Company, since their existence was also time bomb to the nation.

He therefore wants the general public to shun the comments that sought to degrade their operations.