In furtherance of his resolve to give the state a new outlook, Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano yesterday flagged off a special task force on road decongestion with a mandate to rid all roads in the state of rickety and abandoned vehicles.
The task force comprises members of the Anambra State Traffic Agency (ASTA), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the police.
Addressing members of the team shortly before they embarked on special enlightenment programme in Awka, the Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Chuma Mbonu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mwabuonu Ogbaji, said the joint task force would ensure free flow of traffic, reduce road crashes and ensure that abandoned vehicles were not used for criminal activities.
The commissioner while outlining Obiano’s directives on the special assignment, said the task force would work for the next one month. He charged the members to avoid provoking the public in their assignment but remain resolute and focused for positive results.
He said the team would begin from the Amansea boundary between Enugu and Awka and cover Onitsha, Nnewi and Ihiala-Mgbidi boundary. He stated that two dump sites had been provided in Awka and Onitsha while defaulters and owners of abandoned vehicles must pay specified fines before collection of their property.
Also speaking, the state Sector Commander of the FRSC, Hyginus Uche Omeje, described the assignment as a call to national duty.
He decried the activities of individuals who congest the roads with unserviceable and illegally parked vehicles and lauded Governor Obiano for his determination to decongest the highways and roads.
