By Scoop Reporter
THE Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has instituted investigations into the incident that occurred last week involving a fuel road tank vehicle that was parked at an undesignated location where fuel was also being decanted into containers, ostensibly for purposes of illegal fuel vending.
ERB Public Relations Manager Namukolo Kasumpa says this follows video footage captured by an alert member of the public, which was circulated on social media on the same day.
Mrs. Kasumpa says while investigations are still ongoing, it has been established that the fuel tanker registration number BCC 7358ZM/ ACT 5534T belongs to Juba Transport Limited, a Licensee of the ERB with a valid licence to transport petroleum products.
She says the tanker in question is among the fleet of road tank vehicles authorised by the ERB to transport fuel under Juba Transport Limited’s Licence.
“In order to ensure adherence to the set standards and assure public safety, the Board shall take enforcement action against Juba Transport Limited should it be found to be in breach of the ERB’s earlier directive and of the applicable license conditions.
“It should be noted that Juba Transport is cooperating with the ongoing investigations which also include other investigative wings as the matter stretches across the different mandates of various Government agencies,” Mrs. Kasumpa said.
She says previously, ERB had issued a directive on 4th January 2022, guiding all Importers/ Suppliers, distributors and transporters to desist from the unlawful parking of fuel tankers in undesignated areas for public safety and that failure to comply with the above Directive would constitute a breach of license conditions. This directive was further re-emphasised on 28th February 2023 through a press statement.
She says non-adherence to licence conditions specifically with respect to parking in undesignated areas and the use of unauthorised routes for fuel tankers attracts sanctions, including fines ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 penalty units, while repeated breaches may attract suspension or revocation of a licence.
“The ERB would like to commend the valiant actions of the consumer who took the video footage and her diligent actions of circulating it so that it could attract the attention of the respective authorities. We recognise the important role that the community plays in monitoring compliance to set standards and shall rely on the continued cooperation of the community to stamp out such vices.
“Further, the Board has implored members of the public to continue to be vigilant and report all cases of unauthorized parking of Fuel tank vehicles in undesignated locations to the ERB or other relevant institutions,” she said.
