UG roads won’t be tolled

The Informer newspaper can authoritatively report that the decision by authorities of the University of Ghana to toll the roads they have rehabilitated will be a non-starter.

Credible information available to this paper indicates that, the John Mahama administration is not happy at the way the University wants to recover its expenses on making roads on campus more motorable.

This paper’s Flagstaff House source who did not mince words to condemn the decision said “even the increase in tolls at the various toll booths throughout the country are approved by Parliament. How can the University do that?”

The source asked, “What will happen if communities in areas where the roads are generally bad decided to improve their one-mile stretch and start collecting tolls to recoup the monies invested?”

Asked what the University could do to recover some of the expenses made, the source offered this advice; “putting any toll on the roads, even with Parliamentary approval will bring unnecessary burden on students.

So the University can levy, over the next three years, a flat rate of say Ghc5 per student. With a student population of at least 20,000 and new admissions of about 4,000 every year, the institution can generate enough money to recover the initial cost and get a seed fund to ensure continuous maintenance of those roads”.

According to the source, the University authorities should be innovative to use more alternative sources of raising money to meet their financial obligations rather than collecting tolls, indicating that government is not prepared to endorse such “killer” move.

However, reports from the various Student Representative Councils (SRCs) at the University of Ghana have it that, students are bracing themselves for a showdown with authorities over the toll on campus roads.