Some agitating Residents of Amanase, Homeso, Atakra, and Apeatu along the Accra to Kumasi highway have stormed the construction site of the company constructing the road N6 Highway over the lack of U-turns and footbridges in the communities.
According to the residents, the only U-turn provided is 5Km away making it difficult for drivers to comply hence using unapproved lanes to join the highway.
They said the situation worsens whenever they have a health emergency to send pregnant women in labor or critically ill patients to the clinic in the area.
They also argued that the lack of footbridge has led to alarming pedestrian knockdowns which have led to many deaths.
The agitating residents presented a petition to the construction company and copied same to Ghana Highways Authority and Ayensuano District Assembly.
The petitioners made the following demands in the petition with four working day ultimatum to receive a favorable reply.
Construction of U-turn within the four communities, Footbridge, and Auxiliary roads to the communities.
They threaten massive demonstrations if their demands are ignored.
A petition by Amanase Town Development Committee and signed by Michael S.D Kodua and Ernest Akuffo reads “we the entire residents within the following four communities: i.e Amanase, Homeso, Atakra, and Apeatu officially petitioning your office for the above caption. It is absurd and unacceptable to construct a road and leave an impediment for some of the people in a particular community, leaving a whole lot of challenges that are causing serious menace for the residents of Amanase and its enclave, just because there is bad engineering work or a mistake committed by a construction company which is as a result of failure to consider a U-turn to smoothen the movement of commuters or road users”.
The petition continued “upon all numerous complaints lodged to your office, your refusal to heed to our grievances will not and can never mute the people of these communities, rather going to exacerbate the situation. After all, we are not antagonizing your office, but we know we deserve what Ghanaians deserve. We, therefore, urging you to reconsider and fix the menace to help peace to prevail, we cannot continue to be victims just because a road has been constructed for some Ghanaian people”.
According to the agitating residents “before the construction of Kwafokrom – Apedwa junction dual carriage we were not losing lives just as is happening today due to failure of your part to accomplish your work or any other reason known to your company alone has caused the community a lot, the outcome of your inability to accomplish your work diligently and fairly have rendered the sick and injured persons out of access to the community health care facility, which is also increasing casualties in the communities”
“Our businesses are now using huge sums of operational cost to operate and other businesses to have collapsed, you are also causing fear and panic because the road users are no more going the way they should go or flaunting the road traffic regulations which is more dangerous than your claims. But our interest is not in crying over spilled milk, but rather in asking for a correction to avoid further deterioration. We are not interested in protestations and agitations that may tend to further demonstrations, except when you still be in an entrenched position. You have four days to make your decision that is 27th July to 4th August 2022 or we also have 5 days to reconvene to take a decision and advise ourselves” the petition reads.
The petition further made the following demands:
1. A U-turn within the four communities.
2. Footbridge
3. Auxiliary roads to the communities.
Meanwhile, Ernest Akuffo who is the owner of Rodo Oil Filling Station along the stretch of the Amanase highways and a leading member of the agitating residents is disgusted the situation has caused a lot of people to lose their lives due to the lack of favorable U-turn.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
