Roads Minister, Kwesi Amoako Atta, could be summoned before Parliament for ordering an immediate end to the collection of road tolls.
Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dominic Ayine, has said the Roads Minister contravened an Act of Parliament by going ahead of the House to stop road tolls before the Appropriation Bill is passed.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Wednesday, November 17, sought the approval of Parliament to scrap road tolls that generate little revenue but causes a lot of traffic and contributes to the wear of tear of roads.
Presenting the 2022 budget, the Minister said the proposal would take effect after the budget has been approved.
However, shortly after the budget was presented to Parliament the Roads and Highways Minister issued a statement directing that toll collection should cease after midnight of Thursday, November 18, 2021.
Parliament is yet to approve the budget.
READ ALSO: Payment of road tolls ends after midnight today - Roads Ministry
Commenting on the matter, Mr Ayine told Joy News that the law mandates the Roads Minister to continue implementing the law on the collection of tolls.
“What the Minister has done is grossly unconstitutional; it is illegal because until such a time that Parliament passes the appropriations act…and in the Appropriations Act repeals the portion that deals with the tolling of roads the Minister has no right to suspend the operations of that.
“He has contravened an Act of Parliament. It should be possible for us to summon him here to give reasons why he has done so. If his reasons are not acceptable then we can censure him as a House,” Dr Ayine said.
Meanwhile, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service will be providing security at the toll locations after midnight today, the Ministry said in a statement.
The Ministry, therefore, advised motorists to approach the locations with caution and observe all safety measures that will be put in place.
Reports indicate toll booths in parts of the country have been abandoned on Thursday afternoon.