By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Minister of Works and Public Assets, Denis Sandy has stated that there would be an increment in toll gate charges starting March 1st this year, indicating an increment of over 100 percent fees in some of the vehicle categories.
Sandy made this disclosure in the government’s weekly press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conference hall in Freetown on 13th February this year.
He said the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) has expressed concerns over the six million dollars ($ 6) revenue that they lose annually which they said is due to the exchange rates and inflations. As a result, Sandy said the company wrote him a letter for adjustments in the toll gate charges.
When the CRSG started operation in 2017, the Minister recalled that the exchange rate was 7,500 Leones Old Leones, but that the exchange rate is now almost 23 New Leones." Looking at the new exchange rate and the old exchange rate it is almost 200% difference," he emphasised.
Sandy said the company met with the government for “reconsideration” of the contractual agreement, noting that a letter was sent to him by the CRSG for the adjustment in toll gate charges.
He noted that there is a clause in the contract with CRSG that speaks to the renewal of the toll gate charges whenever there “is over 10% increment” in the exchange rate. "At no time did the CRSG take the government to court unlike other companies for not complying with contractual agreements," he stated.
Speaking about the categories of the current charges at the toll gates, he said since 2017 to date Kekehs have been paying 1 New Leones, taxis 2 New Leones, jeeps 4 Leones, vans 18 Leones, trucks 183 Leones and fuel tankers 100 Leones.
He went on to state the proposed charges that were made by CRSG were: 5 New Leones for keeps, taxis 11 New Leones, 27 New Leones for jeeps, 105 New Leones for vans, 2,103 New Leones for big trucks, and 578 New Leones.
He however said that the new charges that were agreed upon at the end of their negotiations were: 3 Leones for kekehs, 5 Leones for taxis, jeeps 10 Leones, delivery vans 40 new Leones, trucks 700 Leones and 250 Leones for fuel tankers.
On the importance of the said Willington-Massiaka highway, he added that it has shortened the journey time from the city to the provinces, adding that there has never been a vehicle collision on the highway since the operation of the two-way movement of vehicles. "If there is any collision, it outside the Wellington-Massiaka Highway," he went on.
On the money spent by CRSG, he said it was one hundred and fifty-four million dollars ($ 154) and that is a public-private partnership venture. "Under the then government, they signed the agreement with the CRSG, and they gave them 27 year period to operate," he said.
The Minister of Works said the CRSG Company has provided over one thousand jobs (1,000) for Sierra Leoneans, thus he added no company wants to operate on a loss basis.
The previous administration signed an agreement with the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) signed toll costs in 2017 after the company completed the expansion of two-way vehicular movements.
Since then, there have been several attempts by the company to increase the costs of the toll charges, but those attempts were met with heavy public condemnation, not until now that the current Minister of Works broke the silence to the public that effective March 1st this year, there would be increment in the toll charges.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (14/02/24)
