Gas Shortage hits Sunyani

STORY: FROM MICHAEL SARPONG MFUM, SUNYANI

The Brong Ahafo regional capital, Sunyani, has been hit by acute shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

The situation, TODAY gathered, is affecting economic activities in the municipality.

The Sunyani municipality has been facing intermittent shortage of LPG for the past six months, but the current situation has hit a crescendo, compelling many passengers and households to walk from the business district to suburbs, including Penkwasi, New Odumase, New Dormaa, Estates among other places in search of gas.

The situation is also adversely affecting academic work.

This came to light when TODAY visited some schools in the municipality the whole of last week; records showed that most pupils were late for school because they could not get a car to their schools, following the fact that many of the commercial cars had to park because they could not get gas.

Some drivers, who spoke to TODAY, registered their displeasure and lashed out at the ruling NDC government.

Mr Kwame Mensah, who plies Sunyani-Abesim route, said “So this is the ‘Better Ghana’ President Mills promised, three days now I have not been to work because there is no gas in Sunyani; how do I look after my family?

During President Kufuor’s tenure we never experienced such a thing, if this is the Better Ghana President Mills promised Ghanaians, then he has failed,” he bluntly stated.

Daniel Aboagye, who also commutes from Sunyani-Fiapre, was furious and did not want to talk,” he however asked: How can I stay in the house for four days without working, do the authorities want us to eat stones?

It is annoying; I want the President to know that we are suffering in Sunyani if he is not aware.

What even annoys me is the toll fare they have increased by 500 per cent; we are going to demonstrate against the increase in toll fare, it is too much, we are not saying they should not increase the fare but how can they increase it by 500 per cent,” he quizzed.

Efforts to get some of the managers of the gas filling stations to comment on the situation proved futile as most of the stations were closed at the time of our visit.

At the time of filing this report, there was no gas at most of the filling stations the paper visited.