Illegal petrol depots and mini petrol stations are operating all across Lahore in violation of the safety regulations set by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). Since, these illegal fuel stations have caused numerous fire incidents per annum, due to the lack of safe refueling practices. Despite the safety hazards, the district administration has failed to take any permanent action against these illegal petrol stations.
A few months ago, a fire breakout in the Mughalpura area destroyed two shops and a power utility company’s transformers. The locals protested against the lack of action by the district administration against the illegal fuel stations.
These illegal petrol depots can be found all across Lahore. Areas such as Ghazi Road, Kacha Road, Kot Lakhpat, Raiwind, Sabzazar, Ferozepur Road, Green Town, etc have mini petrol stations in residential neighborhoods and clustered markets. Previously fuel was sold in plastic bottles and metal containers, however now they have installed fuel-dispensing machines.
According to the Petroleum Industry (Retail Outlets) Regulations set by OGRA, there must be a 20-foot or 6-meter clear space on both sides of the dispensing machine. To prevent accidents, the regulation also states that these dispensing machines must be installed on a raised platform with bolts. However, these illegal mini fuel stations have installed these machines in small shops without following these regulations, creating serious safety hazards.
To make it worse, the dispensing machines are often installed on rolling wheel stands, which means the owners can take the machine out of the shop during work hours, and roll it back when closing the shop or during raids.
Besides violating safety regulations and creating unnecessary risks, these fuel stations are also selling fuel at higher rates than notified, hence violating fuel price regulations as well.
District administration maintains that it is challenging to address and solve these issues in a city like Lahore, where the problem is widespread, especially with the available team and resources. They already have their hands full with problems daily like firefighting, and hence serious issues like illegal petrol depots remain ignored.
