Lagos to clamp down on gas, petrol stations in residential areas

The Lagos State government has declared zero tolerance for siting gas and petrol stations in densely populated residential areas across the state.

It also vowed to clamp down on all illegal outlets.

The decision was sequel the menace of incessant explosion of gas at filling stations in the state. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, stated this during a meeting with district officers and supervisory directors at the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) headquarters at GRA, Ikeja.

The meeting was attended by Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Ganiyu Adele Ayuba; Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Foluso Adebayo Dipe; General Manager, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, Funmi Oshifuye and General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Abiola Kosegbe.

The commissioner said the action became expedient to discourage the propensity to establish gas and petrol stations indiscriminately in densely populated residential neighbourhoods across the state and safeguard lives and property, while maintaining the sanctity of the built environment.

He said that all illegally-built outlets, as well as those operating in densely populated residential areas, would be sealed off to avert further mishaps.

To safely decommission any sealed gas/petrol filling station, Salako, who said that the ministry would work with other agencies, including the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Petroleum Resources, urged district officers and supervisory directors to uphold the standard operating procedures of the ministry, while warning that erring officers would be punished in line with the public service rules.

The commissioner further stated that in continuation of efforts to sanitise the built environment, breakers of government enforcement seals, as well as owners of collapsed buildings, would be prosecuted in line with the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019.