By Saio Marrah
Member of Parliament for Constituency 059 in the Kambia district Abdul Karim Kamara has called on the Ministry of Transport and Aviation and the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) to release the government buses at night on the streets of Freetown to aid the transportation difficulties commuters face especially during hours leading to the curfew period.
Speaking in the Well of the House on Tuesday 16th February, 2021, the Parliamentarian said as the curfew hour approaches, people especially in the eastern part of Freetown face serious transportation hurdles to get to their different destinations.
“We know COVID is real and people should go by the restrictions, but Mr. Speaker, by 8 to 9 pm. people are running home and the transportation system being so poor, you see people crowded into buses running to the east almost every day,” he said.
He added: “I want to use your kind office to ask that during the evening hours, the government buses that are not plying instead of parking at SLRTC not doing anything, we should have them out on the street to get people home in a very peaceful and conducive manner or else we would be wasting our time having curfew when people are choked into buses going home with no facemask,” he said.
In his response, the Leader of Government business Mathew Sahr Nyuma, asked the Committee on Transport to engage the SLRTC and Drivers’ Union to look at the serious issues affecting the transportation sector.
He said parliament had already invited the national coordinator of NACOVERC and the Minister of Health to parliament next week, for them to explain to Parliament about the current situation of the COVID and their preparedness for Ebola.
The Speaker then ordered the Committee on Transport to engage the Ministry of Transport and Aviation and SLRA to solve the issue of transport especially at night.
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