By Lamin Njie
The Gambia Ferries Service and National Roads Authority are rowing over which among the two government agencies should be responsible for ticketing at the Senegambia Bridge, The Fatu Network has learnt.
Investigations by The Fatu Network last week showed replication of functions by two different government agencies, the Gambia Ferries Service, a subsidiary of the Gambia Ports Authority, and the National Roads Authority.
An official who works at the Senegambia Bridge told The Fatu Network the two agencies have been fighting over control of the bridge spanning months. Both agencies are under the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure.
No Row
Meanwhile the director of planning at the Ministry of Works Essa Drammeh has told The Fatu Network there is no row between the two agencies.
“As far as we are concerned at the Ministry here, we are not aware of any pushing and pulling. We set up a committee that came up with that interim arrangement and officials of both the ferries and NRA were part of that committee. As far as we are concerned, the operation is going smoothly.,” Drammeh said.
Drammeh who said he was with the permanent secretary at the ministry at the time of speaking to The Fatu Network dismissed reports that the ministry was being manipulated to have NRA take ultimate charge of the bridge.
“That’s a wrong information. No World Bank or ABD official is influencing [us],” he said.
According to Drammeh, having both the Gambia Ferries Services and National Roads Authority to be handling revenue affairs at the bridge was only an interim arrangement.
“The permanent arrangement, we are working on that. When that time comes, we will let you know about it. As you are aware it’s just an interim arrangement,” he said.
