UP-COUNTRY Bus owners through their association are underway to plan for a meeting with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Said Mwema with a view to get a lasting solution to the long standing problem which exists between them and the traffic police officers in the country. Sources have said that, they have decided to meet the top boss of the police force in the country on a day yet to be identified following failure by the Chief Traffic Officer, Mohamed Mpinga who for long has been repudiating their grievances. Sources further maintains that, bus owners have long been complaining about the bad attitudes and malpractice being shown to them now and then by some few untrustworthy police traffic officers who are fond of harassing their drivers at various police check points. Speaking in a telephone interview early this week, the Secretary General of the Tanzania Bus Owners Association (TABOA), Ernea Mrutu said that, one of the serious claims is about the continued habit of some of them who tend to ask for bribes from drivers and sometimes charging them with money for unknown reasons for each bus which passes along. He says, bus owners are quite disappointed by the habit which has turned to be rule and wonders as to why the traffic police headquarter has failed to apply an effective mechanism in order to ward off the phenomenon despite of several warning letters they have been sending. He says, police traffic officers in these control points have in a greater extent tried to legalize their malpractice and have gone to the extent of threatening to take to court those drivers who resists to obey their orders by way of planting a mistake onto their buses as a pretext for the exhibit in order to let them accept their mischief.
Officials of the Tanzania Bus Owners Association (TABOA) in a meetinmg with police force at Traffic police in Dar es Salaam. Standing left is the forner TABOA's Secretary General Mr. Abdullah.
Due to unavoidable circumstances which compels the victims to honor the police crown under the prevailing situation, most drivers do accept to give them money so as to avoid further harassments, but this is not at their will but rather as an enforcement for fear of getting a penalty which might be imposed upon their denial. Speaking with anger, one unanonymous bus owner who was met by this writer early this week at Ubungo upcountry bus terminal in Dar es Salaam said that, they are really tired of the police malpractice which he said has been psychologically affecting drivers who sometimes have no money to give them. “We are planning to meet IGP Saidi Mwema and if things would not change then we shall organize for our own to seek for any possible solution to end up the vice” he said without clarifying what decision would they take. According to him, they are fed up by such malpractice, as the police do not realize the fact that, they are responsible for paying taxes and meet various operational costs such as paying salaries to their workers, while others are trying harder in order to repay back their bank loans. He further says that, the most annoying thing is that there is a wide syndicated network formed by some traffic police bosses in regions through which they pass who supports their traffic officers and deliberately do not take any action. However, the bus owners are surprised to see are numerous control points despite of several promises by the police whom after looking at the issue they had promised to remove the number and remain with few check points but to no avail. According to Mrutu, one of the most troubled route is that one of Tanga from Dar es Salaam whose traffic officers he noted to be so notorious and impervious to reasons an aspect which he said causes detrimental effects in their members’ daily operations. Efforts to contact the Chief Traffic Police Officer, Mohammed Mpinga for more clarification about the matter proved futile as his mobile phone kept on ringing several times without response. However, his aid said he was in upcountry on a special mission when contacted in a landline phone.
No comments:
Post a Comment