The governor of Phnom Penh has banned the construction of new petrol stations in the city centre and imposed a two-week ultimatum for existing stations to produce letters permitting their operation.

According to a report on the Phnom Penh municipality’s website on Friday, Governor Kep Chutema urged officials to inspect and take legal action against petrol stations that did not have licences from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.

The announcement followed the closure and dismantling of a petrol station owned by Thai firm PTT on the corner of Monivong and Russian Boulevard in Daun Penh district on Friday, because it reportedly did not have legal permission to operate, the report stated.

Chhay Rithysen, the director of Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, said that of the 210 petrol stations in Phnom Penh, only 131 had legal permits. Kep Chutema also urged all eight district governors to consult with officials to inform petrol station owners with no licences to write letters requesting permission to operate, giving them a deadline of two weeks before they face inspection.