Lagos Govt To Clamp Down On Dredgers, Trucks Owners Over Indiscriminate Parking

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By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos

The Lagos State Government said it has concluded plans to commence the clamp down on dredgers, sand and truck owners that often parking indiscriminately on roads, thereby making life miserable for other motorists in the state.

The state government said that it would not relax whatever actions needed to remove bottlenecks from Lagos roads often attributed to sand and gravel trucks drivers who were fond of parking on streets and other roads.

According to the government, any truck found parking indiscriminately on the road would be impounded and auctioned by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in accordance with the law of the state.

Aside from the truck owners, sand dredging companies operating across Lagos waterways without any certification from the government would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others planning to violate the law.

The government has further decided that henceforth, dredging companies would be required to submit yearly proof of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) carried out within the Lagos community they operate.

Announcing the government decision, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Olalere Odusote, stressed that they were put in place to restore sanity within the sector.

Odusote said that these unregistered sand dredging companies have been discovered to have infiltrated the state waterways and were operating across Lagos without any due certification from approved authorities.

The Commissioner, in a statement released yesterday, by the Ministry’s head of Public Affairs Unit, Adetola Idowu, stated that the state has a zero-tolerance policy on any unapproved activities in the State.

While assuring Lagosians of the government’s resolve to protect life and property, he insisted that all dredging companies within Lagos State must obtain Federal Ministry of Mines and Steels approval before they would be allowed to operate.

He added that Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA), Sand Search Report, Bathymetric Survey & Hydrographic report, Survey Plan, and Proof of Ownership/Sub Lease on the land where dredging site is located among others wee other requirements needed for operation by any dredging company in the State.

The Commissioner maintained that dredging companies found operating on Lagos waterways without any of the above-listed documents or selling wet sand would face prosecution.

His words: “The sale of wet sand is totally banned in Lagos State, any dredging company selling wet sand shall be prosecuted. Apart from this, the transportation of wet sand is also not allowed, any truck carrying wet sand shall be seized and auctioned by the Ministry. ”

On the trucks distributing sand and other construction materials, Odusote emphasized that trucks carrying sand would not be allowed to park indiscriminately particularly on major roads in Lagos.

According to him, any truck found contravening the order would be towed away and auctioned by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Speaking on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Odusote stated that all dredging companies within Lagos State, would henceforth, be requested to submit yearly proof of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the community they operate to the Ministry.

While stressing that all roads leading to dredging sites shall be maintained by the dredging companies in that specific location, Odusote averred that penalties shall be imposed on dredging companies for non-compliance with Health safety and environment standard (HSE).

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