By Agbo Amauche, Abakaliki
Ebonyi state government has reiterated its preparedness to impound all vehicles that are parked at illegal motor parks in the state.
The state government made this known through the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Transport, Chief Frederick Nwogbaga while addressing the task force team in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State.
It was gathered that the task force team of the state Ministry of Works and Transport embarked on the enforcement of illegal motor parks in Abakaliki capital city.
He charged the task force team to discharge their duties efficiently and effectively without compromising, adding that anybody who fails to abide by the directives would be arrested and detained by police.
He added further that the vehicle impounded should be taken to the Ministry of Works, while the owner, will pay a fine to the State Government approved bank account, to serve as deferent to recalcitrant operators.
The SSA who later joined the team on the enforcement, impounded over ten vehicles, tricycles as well as motorcycles.
The Governor's aide, however, warned illegal park operators to desist from not complying with government directives and further urged them to shun taking laws into their own hands.
He said the Ministry would not relent until the set objectives are achieved and warned tycoon plaza owners against using their plazas for parks as well as those who always dispose of their plazas for motor parks to desist from it or risk being closed down by the State Government.
Nwogbaga further charged the illegal parks operators to refrain from disobeying the Government and relocate to any of the State approved motor parks including Ocho-udo, Sperado, and Chris Nwankwo Motor parks among others, also ordered roadside marketers to immediately relocate to the St. Margret Umahi International Market, Abakaliki to ensure sanity in the State.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Market and Parks Development Prof Nwogo Obasi decried the level of commercial drivers operating at private parks and refused to relocate to the State Government motor parks.
He noted that the situation has heavily hampered the development of the capital city thereby making the State capital very untidy and charged the task force team to move all illegal park operators to the State Government motor parks and as such get the resistant arrested for the overall interest and development of the State.
Reacting, some of the operators who spoke on the condition of anonymity to newsmen in Abakaliki, appealed to the State Government to give them more time, to sensitize their customers to the new development.
