Tensions have escalated in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, as operators of tricycles also known as ‘pragya’, staged a roadblock demonstration in protest against a recent directive by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
The directive by the assembly prohibits Pragya tricycle operators from entering the Central Business District (CBD) of the city.
The Pragya operators, numbering in the hundreds, blocked major roads leading to the CBD, causing traffic congestion, and disrupting normal vehicular movement.
They voiced their grievances and displeasure over the KMA's decision, which they argue will severely impact their livelihoods.
According to these riders, the ban on entering the CBD restricts their ability to pick up passengers from crucial areas, reducing their income and threatening their daily earnings.
They claim that this directive will impose financial hardships on them and their families.
“Who among the presidents has provided us with jobs? With pragya and the grace of God, I am able to take care of my mother and father. It is through this same job that I am able to take care of my younger sibling who is about to take the exams. Everything that concerns my life, is this pragya.
“If I stop, what other work can I do in this county? There are criminals but for us, Pragya has come for us to work and now you are asking us to stop. What else can we do if we should stop this job,” one of the riders lamented.
Law enforcement personnel were on the scene of the roadblock to manage the situation and restore order.
Kumasi Pragya drivers are staging a roadblock in protest against the KMA's directive, which prohibits them from entering the Central Business District.#UTVNewspic.twitter.com/bJCY5bn2Nm
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Some demonstrating pragya riders