Tamale drivers shut down main lorry station to protest decision to relocate them
Scores of commuters and other travellers in the Tamale metropolis got stranded last Tuesday following a temporary shutdown of the main lorry station in the Central Business District (CBD).
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The lorry station, also known as the Tamale-Bolgatanga station, was closed down by drivers operating from there, in protest against plans by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) to relocate the station to Kukuo, which is on the outskirts of the metropolis.
The drivers parked their vehicles and also prevented people from entering or exiting the lorry station.
Many commuters had to rely on motorcycles to get to their destinations.
The place is the main station for vehicles that ply the eastern corridor routes in the Northern Region, that is, Yendi, Salaga, Bimbilla, Zambuzugu, Tatale, Saboba, Chereponi, Gushegu, Karaga, Kpandai and Wulensi areas. Vehicles from the station also travel to Wa, Bolgatanga, Kumasi and Accra.
The lorry station was, however, opened later in the day after a seven-hour stand-off.
A spokesperson for the drivers, Mr Dan Bawa, told the Daily Graphic that the drivers took the decision to close down the station following a public announcement by the TaMA to relocate the station.
Court action
He said that decision by the metropolitan assembly did not go down well with the drivers who had, therefore, initiated legal action at the Tamale High Court to prevent the assembly from implementing its intended action.
“The court has not ruled yet on the matter, only for us to hear that the assembly was going ahead to relocate us,’’ he said.
According to him, the station was reopened after the blockade following the intervention of the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Sa-eed, who promised to meet the drivers to find an amicable solution to the matter.
Commuters
Meanwhile, some commuters who spoke to the Daily Graphic had kicked against the relocation of the lorry park to Kukuo, which they said was far off and would create a lot of inconveniences for them.
In a reaction, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the TaMA said the assembly was in dialogue with transport operators in the city and was hopeful that a deal would soon be reached.
