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Business asks government to intervene in transportation

They say legislation in Congress treats unions as businesses

SANTO DOMINGO. Business and industry leaders yesterday discussed with the Government the problems of freight and passenger transportation, and they called on the Government to correct the distortions that are harmful to clients and companies.

The meeting was with the Minister of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo, in his office at the Presidential Palace. The businessmen reiterated that freight and passenger transportation merit government intervention because, they say, their actors do not respect the laws, increase the costs and create distortions.

Rafael Paz, the executive Vice President of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep), said that Pro Comsumidor should exercise its authority in order that the problem that affects transportation in the country be regulated and verified.

"It is not possible for us to continue suffering a shameful and undignified situation in the public transportation of passengers and that we have the current levels of the exercise of a dominating position through violent methods and loutish acts in the area of freight transportation, which affect in a decisive manner the competitiveness of the companies and costs," said the business leader.

He said that many abuses are committed such as that of companies that are disguised and protected under the guise of syndicates or unions in order not to respect rules in the activities of the sector.

Paz said that the transportation companies must be required to constitute themselves into companies, because they hide under the umbrella of unions in order to violate laws and avoid their responsibilities.

For his part, Joel Santos, the president of the Dominican Management Confederation (COPARDOM) said that in the business sector there is a great worry over the situation of transportation in the country.

In addition to Rafael Paz and Joelle Santos, the president of Conep, Rafael Blanco Canto, the president of the Industrial Association, Campos de Moya, and leaders such as Circe Almanzar, and Jaime Gonzalez were also present at the meeting.

A Plan for Normalization

The businessmen also talked with Minister Gustavo Montalvo regarding normalization of foreigners in the country.

They said that they are aware that the Haitian authorities have not done sufficient in order to document their citizens and that they can benefit from the Plan initiated by the Dominican government.

They called on the government of Haiti to assist their people here in order that their citizens can be covered by the Plan.

They stressed that the Dominican companies have demonstrated their efforts to collaborate with the process.

OTTT appeals to a Law

The director general of the Technical Office of Ground Transportation (OTTT), Hector Mojica, said in a telephone call to Diario Libre that "the solution to the public transportation problem, which is a problem principally of urban transportation and freight hauling is in the creation of a law that creates a Ministry of Transportation which permits the regulation of this sector."

Mojica declared that in Congress there exists a legislative proposal to substitute Law 241 on Vehicular Transit which is out of date and which would create an Institute of Transportation, while he favors the creation of an institution at the ministerial level.

According to Mojica, the law would oblige the syndicates or unions to constitute themselves into private companies so that they would be obliged to better their services in an environment of free competition.

The OTTT director said that on the issue of intercity transportation, with the exception of the South, the transportation companies "function without any problems, although there might occur incidents, but the principle complaint is with the issue of freight transportation and public transportation in the National District, in the province of Santo Domingo and in Santiago."

The National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep) and another 41 business organizations issued a paid announcement requesting the state and society to act immediately in order to achieve a new organization for transportation, due to the fact that it is the basis of the development and competitiveness of the country.