The Chartered Institute of Transport has challenged government to disclose the law that mandates it to grant temporary permission for the importation of right-hand drives into the country. Government ministries aided by other institutions flouted the country’s laws and allowed the importation of a right-hand drive double decker bus into the country.
The bus, which plies certain routes in Accra is exposing pasengers to avoidable danger as the entrance and exits are on the left. Passengers therefore alight on the wrong side of the road in the path of on-coming vehicles.
The Minister for Communications and Technology, Felix Owusu Agyepong who until last Thursday was in charge of the Transport sector, in an attempt to defend government’s action said they took advantage of an undisclosed regulation that allows the granting of permission for importation of right hand drives vehicles on experimental basis. He noted that the vehicles would be sent back after the experiment.
The Vice President of the Institute of Transport, David Ofosu Dortey however sys there is no such law. He described the Minister’s pronouncement that the law will be amended to allow the importation of more right-hand vehicles as unfortunate and a big blunder.
In another development, the Asantehene’s personal assistant, Owusu Boateng has denied that the Asantehene has been given authorisation to import any of the double decker buses into the country. He however confirmed that during the Otumfuo’s visit to London this year, some investors expressed interest in the country’s transport sector but said negotiations were still ongoing.
