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Firm suspends plan to man city transport
2005-07-07 09:49:38
By Judica Tarimo
A private security company, S. Group Ltd, suspended its plan to eject touts from bus stops yesterday pending settlement of crucial issues in the contract between the Dar es Salaam City Council and the Daladala Conductors and Touts Association (UWAMMADAR).
Sangana Luoga, the director of the S. Group Ltd that was last month contracted by the city council to man bus-stops in Dar, acknowledged that there were aspects of the contract that must be thrashed out first before the firm resumes manning public transport in the city.
It appears that, there was no mutual agreement between our client, the city council and the other players in the industry.
We have decided to temporarily suspend our operations pending an agreement based on the consent of all the parties, Luoga said.
\’We incurred huge losses during the aborted operation. Our guards were injured and cars and other valuable property destroyed in the fracas that broke out on Tuesday,\’ said the official.
He said the company would not proceed with the exercise until the city council meets with officials of the Conductors and Touts Association (UWAMMADAR) to discuss and resolve their problems.
Luoga said UWAMMADAR officials and the city council would meet tomorrow to discuss the controversy.
UWAMMADAR leaders blamed the city council for not consulting them in the planned ejection of touts from bus stops, who the council has accused of being a security threat to passengers and their property.
One of the association’s leaders, Hamis Chujumba, said the city council decided to hire a private security company before reaching a mutual agreement with the stakeholders in the daladala industry.
The long-term plan was designed by the city council to protect passengers and their properties from criminals.
But daladala conductors, touts and drivers rejected the plan on the grounds that the city council sidelined them when it decided to institute changes in the way public transport is manned in the city.
They challenged the 500/- charged per day by the private firm. They argued that vehicle owners are already paying a lot of money in taxes to the city council.
The association wants the city council to pay for the company’s services instead of leaving the burden to drivers and conductors.
Contacted by telephone, the Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Capt John Chiligati said: I have not received any report from the city council on the aborted operation.
I supported the idea as the best way of protecting people, especially passengers.’
He termed as frivolous the touts and conductors’ argument that they being deprived of a source of income.
’You cannot force someone to employ you. These people (touts) are a menace at bus-stops,’ said the minister.
On the argument that the police had failed to protect wananchi and their property, the minister said the city council has its own ways of ensuring the security of its people and their property.
Reports say UWAMMADAR officials led by secretary-general, Shukuru Mlawa, travelled to Dodoma yesterday for talks with the minister. They were expected to meet Chiligati yesterday evening.
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