PHOTO: The burnt out offices of NTA
Liberian Police and the National Fire Service are investigating the cause of the fire that burnt the offices of the Monrovia Transit Authority (NTA) in the Garnersville suburb of Monrovia recently, as Augustine Octavius reports.
Over 809,000 Liberian Dollars, nine million Leones and 600 United States Dollars have been burnt when fire destroyed the administrative offices of the National Transport Authority located along the Japanese Highway in the Township of Gardnerville.
NTA Managing Director, Harbie McCurlay disclosed that the fire that destroyed the entire building started about 2. 40 am last Thursday and he drove to the scene at about 3pm, when he called by the Deputy Chief of Security .
Addressing a press conference, Mr. McCurlay explained that important documents and utilities were also destroyed and they are operating from the conference room located another portion of the compound
According to him, several security officers, who were on duty at the time of the incident, are assisting the Liberia National Police with investigation as the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service is probing the cause of the fire
The NTA Managing Director explained that monies were kept there because they brought in the previous day and were expected to be taken to the bank the following day
McCurley has assured the public that buses will be on the streets to serve the public as usual and apologize for the company’s inability to ply the street on Thursday
“The is the first incident of fire since his appointment as Managing Director of the NTA a little over five years ago” he said; adding: “because there was no current in the building when the fire started.”
NTA boss McCurlay
McCurlay pointed out that the company currently providing cheap transportation for public all over the country.
He appealed to all international partners to assist the NTA because the all the utilities in the office were burnt to ashes and they are operating from the outside.
The National Transit Authority (NTA) was established in the city of Monrovia, by the Liberian government through legislative enactment on September 11, 2008 and approved into law by former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on March 24, 2009.
The NTA has its root in the erstwhile Monrovia Transit Authority (MTA), created in 1977 as a department of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to provide affordable mass transit service to the residents of Monrovia.
The government under the leadership of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf envisioned that to holistically address the challenge of poverty in Liberia it was important to decentralize governance and all services appertaining there from.
Hence, affordable public transportation for Liberians was identified as one of the areas for strategic intervention.
In October, 2011 with a generous donation by the Indian government of 25 Ashok Leyland Falcon buses, the Liberian government officially launched its mass transit services for the Liberian people.
This donation was soon followed by the purchase of additional 8 new buses by the government to further augment NTA’s capacity to extend access to mass transit services for our people.
Significantly, the remodeling of the MTA into the NTA seeks to decentralize the provision of affordable, convenient and reliable mass transit services to citizens throughout the length and breadth of our country.
The government is confident this policy would facilitate the safe movement of people and goods within and out of the country at affordable cost and would further expand and enhance our national development agenda – to reduce poverty, create more jobs and stimulate domestic trade and commerce.