By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration through its Directorate of Road Traffic Services, DRTS, is set to crush some of the over 130 rickety cars taken off the road for failing integrity test.
The said vehicles were impounded by the DRTS during its intensified evening raid operations carried out in the last two weeks, to rid the city of unroadworthy vehicles plying the capital city.
Director of the DRTS, Dr. Abdulateef Bello, who stated this after taking journalists round the various commands of the DRTS where the impounded vehicles are kept, said the ideas was to return the city back to sanity and also, to substantially reduced criminality associated with one chance.
According to him, most of the rickety vehicles operators used them for one-chance and other related crimes in the Federal Capital City.
Bello, explained that the vehicles would be subjected to all standard verification for registration, road worthiness and other checks, adding that those that failed short of minimum standard would be crushed.
He also said that the owners of some of the impounded vehicles would face the mobile court and pay requisite penalties in line with the provision of the law.
“Some of the vehicles that are here; some of them will be made to face the mobile court. The mobile court will decide the kind of penalty that will be given to them.
“But there are some that definitely will not go back to the road. We are going to invite the owners. We will ask them to pick whatever is valuable in the vehicle, and the vehicle will be crushed,” he said.
The director added that those arrested based on crime committed in the guise of commercial operations, would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
Bello explained that a total of 130 substandard vehicles were impounded in the last two weeks during evening raids to impound all substandard vehicles.
According to him, most of the substandard vehicles were plying the city roads in the guise of commercial business, whereas many of them are running the city to perpetrate crime.
“So, for the last two weeks under review, we have impounded over 130 substandard vehicles which we took you round to see.
“The idea is to ensure that we return the city back to sanity; to remove all traces of insecurity and then to ensure seamless traffic flow in the capital city.
“This is an assignment that we have taken upon us in line with the vision of the current administration to guarantee zero tolerance to insecurity in the FCT.
The director said that the operations would continue until all substandard vehicles being used for criminality were removed from the city.
One the operation of “one chance”, Bello said that the DRTS operations have substantially reduced the level of criminality associated with “one chance”.
He explained that in the last one month, DRTS was working to ensure that all taxi operators conduct their businesses in the tax ranks and not on the road corridors.
He advised residents against patronising taxis and other vehicles outside the tax ranks.
The inspection of the impounded vehicles started from the DRTS Headquarters in Mabushi, then to the DRTS office at Gwarinpa, Area 1 and Wuye command.
