Manning announces tougher penalties for reluctant PMVs
By REBECCA KUKU
PUBLIC Motor Vehicle owners or operators who breach state of emergency orders such as overloading passengers and not completing their routes will be fined K50,000 or jailed.
State of Emergency Controller David Manning announced the hard measures yesterday as PMVs operators continued to ignore orders.
“We have decided to introduce tougher penalties as PMV buses continue to carry 25 passengers and are not practising social distancing,” said Manning, who is also the Police Comm.
“The orders were that public transport would be re-opened with operators to continue with hygiene measures of hand sanitisers, regular sanitising of seats and social distancing in 25-seater PMVs allowing up to only 15 people and all other transport to five less than licensed whilst taxis are permitted only two passengers.
“But PMVs are still breaching these orders so we are now putting in place tougher penalties.
“And the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary will be enforcing these penalties with officers monitoring major bus stops (from today).”
Comm Manning said Papua New Guineans needed to understand that the measures were put in place to protect them from Covid-19 and they must adhere to them.
He said our no-care attitude would be cause death if there was an outbreak because people just did not seem to listen to instructions.
Comm Manning said that police would start making arrests today of PMV owners and operators who breached the orders.
10 comments
Can the Commissioner/SOE Controller look into the reports of abuse of orders and powers by the PNG Police men/women to mistreat, harass and brutally confiscate personal belongings of people and damage properties? Is there control on the behaviors of the policemen/women? Using COVID-19 as an excuse, corruption has gone to another level in all fronts.
Many unregistered PMV’s operating in Lae are still carrying more than 15 passengers and charging k2 bus fare to make extra k10 or more on top of normal k1 bus fare where they usually collect k25 per trip.Can some traffic authorities look in to it and charge them to face the COVID-19 restriction laws put in place to follow..
There is a lot of stealing by the bus drivers and offsides in overcharging bus fares not approved by the transport. ATS to Gordon K2 bus fare if this approved by the Law.
City Authorites need to subsidize public transport to ease the inconveniences and to avert lawless in crowded bus stops.
PMV owners and operators charged K1.50 RTA approved rate, 50t to cover for the lose space for 15 passengers per bus for social distancing, they are charging K1.50 and yet overcrowding the bus. Defiance to Emergency orders and compromising safety for the greed of money. Money supersedes safety, it is now on the part of enforcement to ensure compliance.
Everything is back to normal in Hagen. Seem that there is no SOE in Hagen. PMV’s over pack with passgeners. Street sells happening everywhere, no social distancing.
Perfect. Seems like PMV owners are persistently negleting the SOE commands. Why not we respect the constitutional power during this time, get it straigt by exercising full penalty to those stubborn brains.
Lets respect our self for for better PNG and Covid 19 fee.
Perfect. Seems like PMV owners are persistently negleting the SOE commands. Why not we respect the constitutional power during this time, get it straigt by exercising full penalty to those stubborn brains.
Lets respect our self for for better PNG and Covid 19 fee.
just imagine that they can shout at mothers and elderly people to pay K1.50t from Rainbow bus stop to Gerehu bus stop, just for a short ride….NCDC time to provide buses for the city
Here in Lae, we depend on the PMV travelling to and from doing our daily activities, even the road conditions are worse at this stage so I am appealing to the SOE controller to take into consideration and relax rules when applying your judgment on the PMV owners and operators. When its raining season here in Lae, the PMV are there providing the best service to us the ordinary citizen of this country. In Port Moresby your road conditions are better than here in Lae city.
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