The Minority in Parliament have said they will use every legal action to ensure that the stoppage of the collection of bridge and road tolls is reversed.
The Minority said the cessation has affected people who worked at the toll booths financially. Hence their decision to force the government to let them resume work.
The posture of the Minority comes after a group of toll booth workers staged a demonstration yesterday over their being laid off because of the cessation of the collection of bridge and road tolls.
The protesters said the directive given by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon Kwasi Amoako-Atta has had negative impact on their livelihoods.
After receiving a petition from the demonstrators, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Hon Ahmed Ibrahim assured them that Minority will ensure that their concerns are addressed.
"We started fighting for you even before you thought of your petition, and this is a house of rules and regulations. There are procedures to be followed, and it is good that your petition has also come at the right and also confirms the position that was taken by the house itself.”
“So while you have brought this, we will go and juxtapose this with the comments that were made on the floor and the Speaker direction that was given. Abrupt abrogation of that economic zone will not be to the benefit of the persons with disabilities. So whatever we would do as your representatives, we will do it.”
On his part, the secretary of the Ghana toll workers group, Edward Duncan said even though the 2022 budget has been approved by the Majority, the group will pile pressure on the government to reverse the stoppage of the collection of bridge and road tolls.
“We will wait and see in the coming days how things will unfold because the comments coming from the Minority suggests to us that the approval by the Majority is illegal, and it shouldn’t stand. So we will wait to see in the coming days what will come out, and then we will advise ourselves accordingly.”
Immediately after the Finance Minister, Hon Ken Ofori Atta announced the scrapping off of tolls on all public roads the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon Kwasi Amoako Atta gave a directive for all toll booths to be closed down.
However, the Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Alban Bagbin ordered the Minister for Roads and Highways to retract his directive saying it was illegal.
He argued that until the 2022 budget in which the cessation of tolls was announced is approved, the Minister has no right to gave the directive.
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