Regional News of Thursday, 16 June 2005

Source: GNA

Techiman drivers threaten MRT and VELD

Techiman, June 16, GNA - Commercial drivers in Techiman municipality have threatened to advise themselves if the Ministry of Road Transport and the Vehicle Examination and Licensing Division (VELD) do not return their licences to them within a month.

Mr John Badu-Antwi, chairman of the taxi branch of Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of TUC in Techiman municipality made this known to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Techiman. He said it had been more than a year since the drivers were issued with cover notes to operate with temporarily with the promise that they would be issued with new permanent licences.

The GPRTU chairman said the police did not recognize the cover notes on the highways and some of the drivers had been dragged to courts and made to pay fines for not possessing the licences. Mr Badu-Antwi appealed to the Ministry of Road Transport and the police to check over-loading by heavy-duty trucks, particularly those from Burkina Faso and Niger to minimize road accidents.