Kumasi experiences diesel shortage

Some commuters in the Kumasi Metropolis and its surroundings last Monday evening and yesterday morning had to walk long distances to their destinations due to the unavailability of commercial vehicles plying their routes, as a result of diesel shortage.

Long queues formed at the various lorry stations and drivers who had fuel to operate took advantage of the situation to charge more than the approved fares.

A large number of vehicles were also seen parked at various fuel stations, their drivers waiting rather impatiently for the stations to be served their allocations of diesel so that they could also fuel their vehicles.

Mr Johnson Mireku, a 25-year-old mobile phone dealer who was met at Bantama, said he was walking to his house at Asuoyeboa and alleged that drivers plying the route were charging GH¢1.50 instead of GH¢0.80. “Even at that price,  you have to struggle to join a bus. If you are not lucky, the pickpockets would steal from you,” he added.

However, by yesterday afternoon, a few filling stations in the metopolis had received diesel and had attracted long queues of vehicles and people with jerrycans.

The UBI filling station at Asafo, behind the Labour Department, which had received a supply of diesel as of 12 noon, had attracted large numbers of vehicles and fuel attendants there busily at work serving them.­