Deputy Finance Minister, John Ampontuah Kumah, has defended the decision by the Minister of Road and Highways to suspend road toll collection in the country, saying he breached no law.
According to him, Road toll collection was delaying productivity and the Minister per Article 297 clause (d) of the Tolls Act 1973, took an administrative decision to “suspend” the collection, but not “cancel”.
He, therefore, assured the affected workers at the toll that, they will be resigned to other duties.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Atiwa West, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, few minutes after the 2021 budget presentation, directed the cessation of the collection of road and bridge tolls at all locations nationwide, effective from 12am on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
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Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, directed the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, to with immediate effect, withdraw his statement announcing the cessation of road tolls, saying he doesn’t have the legal mandate to implement a policy proposal when it has not been approved and passed by Parliament.
Hours after the Speaker’s directive, the Ministry of Roads and Highways said in a press release that, its directive on the cessation of the collection of tolls on public roads and bridges was intended to save lives and property and not to suspend the law.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister for Finance, John Ampontuah Kumah, says the Minister’s directive was not to “cancel” the road toll collection in the country but to “suspend”, therefore “he breached no Law”.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Ebenezer Kewaw Madugu | [email protected]
