The Anambra State Government on Thursday announced its plan to restrict articulated vehicles from plying its roads between the hours of 6am and 7pm to prevent road crashes.

The state Commissioner for Transport, Ifeanyichukwu Ejikeme, said this during an interview with our correspondent in Awka, the state capital.

He explained that the state had earmarked N2bn to build truck parks at four sites in the state to enable it to enforce the order within a short period of time.

Ejikeme added that the parks would be constructed in Onitsha, Amoka-Ihiala Local Government Area, Ogbunka in the Orumba South LGA and Amansea in the Awka North LGA of the state

The commissioner said the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, had wanted the order to be enforced this month but for logistics challenges.

He explained that the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Anali Chude, had drafted and forwarded a bill to the state House of Assembly to give the restriction a legal backing.

It was learnt that the decision was prompted by the fatal crashes in the state involving articulated vehicles.

In one of the crashes, no fewer than 65 persons were burnt to death in Onitsha when a fuel tanker crashed and burst into flames.

The commissioner said upon perfection of the arrangements, the state would go tough on any truck that contravened the law.

Ejikeme threatened that such vehicles would be impounded and their owners made to pay stipulated fines or go to prison as the case might be.

On the controversy trailing the state mass transit scheme, the commissioner said only dishonest persons were complaining about it.

He explained that the scheme was meant to empower the youth and not for a jamboree.

Some beneficiaries of the state taxi mass transport scheme had recently expressed dissatisfaction with the way the scheme was being run, accusing government agents of mismanaging the scheme.

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