Ashanti Regional Minister meets VIP, STC officials

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has held a meeting between officials of the STC and VIP following a standoff between workers of the two entities on Monday.

Officials of the VIP branch in Kumasi are resisting attempts to allow the STC to relocate to the VIP bus terminal in Asafo arguing that it is a deliberate attempt by city authorities to push them out of business.

Details of the meeting remain sketchy, but mynewsgh.com gathered that it was aimed at persuading officials of the VIP bus terminal to agree to the new arrangement since it is in the general interest of the traveling public.

But VIP officials insist they will not allow STC to turn the area to their loading terminal because it is theirs.

Deputy Managing Director for STC, Sintim Aboagye, said: “We are here at the Asafo market terminal in our bid to re-brand, recapture and re-position our brand. One of our strategic positions is to bring transport to the doorstep of the private users and we thought it wise to secure a spot at Asafo VIP near VIP station so in our attempt to launch the station this morning, we came here and realized VIP had virtually blocked us with about three of their buses, denying us access to the place that we legally acquired to carry out operations.” He wondered why VIP carried out such a move when they had met all legal requirements to undertake their activities there.

“The place does not belong to STC. The place belongs to the Kokofu branch of GPRTU. They had a 25-year permit and they have exhausted only one year, so they have about 24 years outstanding. We have entered into the tenancy agreement with them and we have acquired the necessary legal documentation from KMA to protect us and everything that has to be done to allow us to start our operations has been done.”Mr. Aboagye believes that the VIP operators are only resisting because they are scared of competition.