Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the Minister of Roads and Highway, has said his outfit would not tolerate indiscipline and reckless behaviour of individuals and organisations that would impede the construction works of government projects.

In that regard, he said, he would use the sovereign powers of the state to enforce the law to force
The Minister’s comments came in the wake of an unruly behaviour of an owner of excavators, whose hiring equipment was within road reservation area, thereby hindering the progress of construction works at the Spintex Underground Tunnel, near Flower Pot Junction, which would link the area to East Legon.

Three persons were arrested in the ensuing scuffle and handed over to the East Legon Police Station.

Mr Amoako-Atta said this when he inspected ongoing construction works of the Spintex Underground Tunnel, near Flower Pot Junction and Tema Roundabout Improvement Works in the Greater Accra Region, on Monday.

He said upon completion of the two projects, it would ease traffic congestion on the Tema Motorway and other adjoining roads, because vehicles would be moving simultaneously, which would promote productivity.

The Minister noted that the Government put high premium on value for money and would make sure all government projects were properly executed to specifications.

Mr Feda Natour, the Chief Engineer of SONITRA, the contractors for the Spintex Underground Tunnel, said the 55-metre underground project was in three phases.
He said the first phase involved the construction of a 21.5-metre stretch on the East Legon side of the road, a 21.5-metre stretch on the Spintex Road side and a 12-metre in the middle of the road.

Mr Natour, however, expressed worry that due to the occupation of the other side of the road by a private firm that had earth-moving equipment parked there, it would delay the construction works if urgent measures were not taken to eject them.

The project, estimated at the cost of GH¢15million, was expected to be completed by the end of this year.
At the Tema Motorway Roundabout, Mr. Amoako-Atta inspected the ongoing improvement works, which was being funded by the Meridian Port Services (MPS) as part of the Tema Port Expansion Works.

The project, which was estimated at the cost of GH¢30 million, was being undertaken by Sinohydro Ghana Limited.
It involved the construction of four additional lanes from the main Tema Roundabout, construction of double lanes at the Akosombo and Tema Hospital ends of the roundabout, in order to ease flow of traffic as well as landscaping of the roundabout to enhance the beautification of the area.

Source: GNA

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Salaga South Constituency in the Northern region, Mr Salifu Adam Braimah has provided 10 boreholes to 10 communities in his constituency.

These are known to experience acute water shortages that compel residents to resort to drawing water from sources which quality they cannot vouch for.

The success of these boreholes which of course are in different stages of completion according the MP was made possible in collaboration with Lifetime Wells for Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that is in the business of providing potable water to deprived communities.

Beneficiary communities include; Matalpo, Kunshi, Mankango quarters, Kandlande, Nyikata, Garinshanu, Kamabuye and Kakoshi, among others.

Mr. Braimah stated that the level below at which the ground is saturated with water was poor, but he is making everything possible to improve water supply in the area.

The MP emphasized that he is interacting with both the Ghana Water Company and Community Water and Sanitation to find lasting ways to further boost the water supply system for the various communities.

He added that, water was an imperative part of development hence the need to provide good drinking water for his people since water is life.

Alice Abubakari / Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Parliament said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, William Quaitoo has demonstrated ungratefulness to the people of the three regions in the north by suggesting that they are “difficult people”.

According to the Minority leader, Mr. Quaitoo’s comments amount to subjecting the people of the three regions in the north to such a “profound level of insults, ridicule and indignity”.

Mr. Quaitoo while reacting to complaints from farmers in the north on how their farms have been destroyed by fall armyworm and subsequent appeal for some forms of compensation, stated that: “if anybody who is in the Northern and said his farm was destroyed by warm invasion the person must prove it. Our brothers (in the North) it is so difficult to deal with them, I lived there for 27 years I speak Dagbani like a Dagobah and all that”.

“They are very difficult people nobody can substantiate if anybody says that his farm was destroy by armyworm, the person would have to come and prove it. We have no records of that, it is just a way of taking money from the government that’s what that do all the time” he said.

Meanwhile the Deputy Minister later issued a statement apologizing and retracting claiming he did not think about the possible consequences of his comments.

The Deputy Minister later issued an apology and retraction claiming he did not think about the possible consequences of his comments.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Minority leader described the apology of the Deputy Agriculture Minister as “grossly inadequate, insincere, hypocritical” and not deep enough to assuage the profound pain and huge damage done to the good image and integrity of the people of the three regions in the north.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com