The Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has reacted to concerns raised by hawkers at the various toll booths nationwide.

Traders along these stretches have lamented how affected they are, following the directive from the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, for the cessation of the collection of toll, which means vehicles will no longer stop for passengers to patronise their wares.

According to the hawkers, these tollbooths served as vantage places where they make their daily incomes.

But, reacting to the concerns, the Majority Leader, who doubles as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, said the tollbooths needed to be closed down since they were a disadvantage to economic growth.

“This year, the government revenue from all tollbooths in the country were about Gh¢78 million and we use about Gh¢50 million to maintain and improve the spots around the tolls,” he said on Accra-based Okay FM.

The Suame MP added that: “Apart from maintenance, we have contracted people to clean the place two to three times daily to prevent visitors from outside categorising us as dirty. So what the traders are saying that the government has rendered them jobless doesn’t make sense because the toll booths are not constructed to serve as market centres.”

He, however, suggested that the “government needs to develop more markets to inhabit all these traders who are in this dilemma.”