IPNEWS: The Government of Liberia has announced the reinstatement of the road user permit of Western Cluster Liberia in Bomi County.
It is the second time the government has lifted suspension of the company’s road user permit which allows it to transport iron from Tubmanburg to the Port of Monrovia.
Minister Justice and Attorney General, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh said the decision is predicated on the issuance of temporary permit to the company by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The decision is also based on an investigative report on repair and maintenance of the road corridor presently being undertaken by Western Cluster Ltd, in addition to the company’s agreement with terms and conditions of the road user permit and the MDA as well as its engagement with the contractors for the continuous maintenance and repair of the road corridor,” Minister Tweh said.
Acting on President Boakai;s mandate, Justice Minister Tweh disclosed he and the deputy minister of operations at the ministry of mines and energy along with assistant minister of public works led a team on an inspection of the road corridor from St. Paul Bridge to Tubman Burg, Bomi County on September 14, 2024.
The primary objectives of the inspection were to access the current condition of the road from St. Paul Bridge to Tubmanburg to observe maintenance work carried out by the company, to evaluate the state of the bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge which Western Cluster was instructed to repair, maintain, and utilize, he said.
The Minister said the same goes to St. Paul Bridge which the company was instructed to repair, maintain and utilize for its operations to avoid and prevent it from damage.
According to him, they observed that Western Cluster has done some repair and maintenance work on the road corridor, including the hiring of contractor to continuously repair and maintain the corridor.
“The contractor informed the team that it has a detail maintenance plan which will be submitting to the Ministry of Public Works this week, while the company has through the contractor almost completed the fixing of the old bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge for used by its trucks and will be completed during the dry season,” Justice Minister Tweh indicated.
He also indicated that the contractor has carried on repair and maintenance along the road corridor, repairing seriously damaged portions at various sections. Minister Tweh added that construction work on the Po-river Bridge has been contracted for.
According to the Minister, the company has committed to fully comply with environmental laws of Liberia by obtaining environmental permit for its operations, ensure that all ores are transported between 10pm to 5am daily.
“The company has also committed to engage the Ministries of Public Works and Transport to carry out a joint public safety awareness and to undertake the erection and installation of the weighing station at Po River Bridge at the time to be agreed upon by the Ministry of Public Works and Western Cluster,” Minister Tweh stated.
