Any petrol pump, which is being run without the permission of the authority need to be put in place
KARACHI: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Ordinance of 2002, has deemed it mandatory for petrol pumps to receive NOC from the department of explosives, especially for the residential areas, however, majority of the so-called multinational petroleum companies operating in Pakistan have not obtained such NOCs and hence, are violating the Explosives Act of 1884.
More so, many petrol pump sites have also failed to obtain NOCs from the Environmental Protection Agencies, which is a clear violation of law in terms of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of 1997. It is pertinent to mention that as per the Petroleum Act of 1934 and Petroleum Rules of 1937, any site plan for the purpose of establishment of a petrol pump, including its design and construction for the installation, must be exclusively approved by the authority, however, majority of petrol pumps operating in Pakistan have failed to get any approval from the chief inspectors of the explosives department.
In view of the matter, any petrol pump, which is being run without the permission of the authority concerned or without fulfilling other necessary formalities, makes it necessary for the law-enforcing agencies, including the police, to register a criminal case against them.
Arsalan Raja
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2017.
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