PUTRAJAYA: For six months starting tomorrow (June 10), the authorities have imposed a freeze on all new applications by those who plan to venture into the retail petroleum industry.
Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad said the stoppage order applied to all those who wanted to
to be wholesalers and to store diesel as well as petroleum for industrial and domestic usages including for shipping vessels.
The same caveat applies to all applications to open new petrol stations for all brands, he said in a statement today.
"The freeze, effective tomorrow (today) to December, will allow the ministry to study the best mechanism to tackle leakages that happen at throughout the supply chain of subsidised fuel (storage depot, petrol stations to wholesalers).
"We will propose to the government on measures that can address the embezzlement activities."
Any wholesalers as well as petrol station operators who were proven to be involved in the embezzlement activities would have their permits revoked immediately, Alias added.
He said the ministry had also decided to impose quota at all petrol stations located near the borders such as at Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak.
