Essequibians blame Guyoil for tainted gasoline

Jan 06, 2012 News

Some Gas Station reopen, vehicle owner want compensation for damages
All Guyana Oil Company (Guyoil) gas stations on the Essequibo Coast were closed on Wednesday after the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) found that the gasoline they were selling was contaminated.
But yesterday, some of the Guyoil gas stations were reopened after the company’s truck withdrew the tainted oil from the system and pumped in a fresh supply.

Rife’s Gas Station at Henrietta, Essequibo Islands one day after closure.

One prominent businessman, whose gas station was closed due to the purchase of gasoline from the company, said an extraction of the tainted oil was done by representatives of GEA and a refill of fresh unpainted Gasoline was done yesterday morning.
Scores of taxi drivers and private vehicle owners complained that they had experienced problems with their vehicles after purchasing gas from Guyoil.
“We start to experience a rise in the oil level in the vehicle. When we carry it to the mechanic, he said that the gasoline was mixed with Kerosene…every taxi driver had hell with the Gasoline,” one taxi driver said.
Collectively, vehicle owners on the Essequibo Coast complained of engine seizures and fuel pump malfunctions.
“People reported to the various Guyoil gas stations but they still continued to sell the same gas and ignore our complaints. Now an oil change is $5,200 and I put $10,000 to full my tank and this is a government own gas station, and is a government controlled GEA inspected the fuel and discovered that is was tainted. Now, who is going to compensate us for the damages? Who will blame who?” another driver questioned.
Meanwhile, one mechanic at Land of Plenty, Essequibo Coast said he observed an influx of work as a result of the damages done to vehicle due to the contaminated Gasoline.
Kaieteur News was told by a source that the problem with the tainted fuel could possibly be as a result of a contaminated tank which was used to transport bulk oil at the Power Station at the Guyana Power and Light Inc. facility at Anna Regina.
The source explained that after the bulk oil (black oil) which was filled in the tank was extracted, Gasoline was poured into the said tank which caused the contamination.
“Who is going to refund vehicle owners who have been queuing up at the gas stations,” one businessman said.
When this publication tried contacting the Director of Guyoil, Badrie Persaud, his Secretary said that she would relate to the Director the questions that were raised by Guyoil consumers.
She took three contact numbers and said Persaud would return a call. That did not happen.
When this newspaper tried contacting Head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mahender Sharma, efforts failed.