Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL), one of the companies awarded the contract of towing disabled vehicles, has defended the mandatory payment associated with the implementation of the service.
According to the Communications and Marketing Manager of the company, Roland Walker, the service will help prevent the numerous road accidents caused by disabled vehicles on most of Ghana’s highways and will protect the many road users.
[contextly_sidebar id=”bbmj3sXhdxKuxmgSFcjMyJLzPhd3pUVB”]The National Road Safety Commission, last month announced that effective July 1, 2017, vehicle owners and motorcyclists will be made to pay a compulsory annual fee which will be tied to the acquisition of road worthy certificate, to cater for towing services of disabled vehicles.
Following the announcement, many Ghanaians especially drivers have challenged the idea, describing it as unfair and a clandestine move to “swindle” Ghanaians.
But Roland Walker, who was speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue on Saturday strongly defended the idea, saying the proposed mandatory fees for the service is aimed at protecting Ghanaian road users.
He explained that, “the framers of the law had experiences in the sector for which a number of models were tried and it was ascertained that having a mandatory service will inure to the benefit of the ordinary passenger or motorist who will be an innocent person…”
He added that the towing service, which will be handled by about 5 companies will be offered nationwide.
According to him, a subsidiary of Jospong Group of Companies, is the lead service provider among the 5 private companies that are to carry out the holistic and nationwide program based on its equipment strength and capacity.
‘Suspend mandatory towing service’
Meanwhile a former President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE), Ing. Magnus Lincoln Quarshie has taken an entirely stance on the issue, calling on the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) to immediately suspend charging towing fees from vehicle owners.
He believes the initiative raises too many questions and is a total rip off, hence must be halted while further deliberations are held.
“As a Road Safety Campaigner, the idea to remove abandoned vehicles on our roads is indeed a laudable one. I am however strongly against how this very good ‘idea’ is to be implemented and wish to advise that the directive be suspended and thoroughly debated in order for it to achieve the desired results…Also, this ‘fee’ raises a lot of questions as to why a state organization, will raise funds to support ‘a’ particular private business.”
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana