General News of Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Source: business24.com.gh
2021-09-14
The move is part of the recommendations by govt’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal mining
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) will soon begin the registration and tracking of earth-moving equipment that is brought into the country, Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has said.
According to him, government is concerned about the indiscriminate use of earth-moving equipment for unauthorised mining and has therefore directed that the DVLA register all such equipment used in the country.
Speaking at the joint inauguration of the boards of DVLA, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Maritime Authority and Ghana Shippers Authority in Accra, he indicated that DVLA will put up a facility at the Tema and Takoradi ports to make sure that all earth-moving equipment that enters the country is registered and tracked.
“The benefits that will accrue to us will be enormous. The tracking will be operated by them, not any private entity because we want to control the system. And they are doing it in conjunction with the Ministry of Local Government.”
The move is part of the recommendations by government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal mining in 2019 to track all earth-moving equipment (excavators, bulldozers, etc.) for licensing and registration.
Furthermore, a directive by the Transport Minister in 2019 noted that a person who uses or keeps a motor vehicle or trailer not being an exempt motor vehicle on a road when particulars of the motor vehicle or trailer have not been entered in the register maintained by the licensing authority in accordance with section 39 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 250 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or to both.