Residents of Buru-Navio in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region are preparing to demonstrate over what they call the government’s apathetic attitude towards their plight.
It would be recalled that the a major bridge caved in on March 24, 2022 as a heavy haulage truck attempted to drive through.
The collapsed bridge has since brought untold hardships on citizens in the area relating to mobility challenges, carting of goods in and out of the area, and also, cutting off other connecting communities as well as public servants and businessmen and women who ply their trade along that route. This same route also connects up with parts of neighbouring Burkina Faso.
The Assemblyman for the Navio-Electoral area, Roland Apugido, speaking to Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show today, July 4, 2023 explained that the broken bridge has caused a lot of inconvenience for communities around the area.
“There are no concrete plans for the bridge to be reconstructed. Even though the Upper East Regional Minister is not happy we want to demonstrate, he doesn’t have any concrete answers to give to us, we are preparing to let the whole world know what is happening to us. We would demonstrate in the coming days,” he said.
Additionally, residents that commute to and from Sirigu in the Kassena-Nankana West District and Zorkor in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region are unhappy that a bridge that broke in 2021 is still in a state of disrepair.
Even more worrying for the community members is that the Kassena-Nankana West District Assembly is unsure when the bridge will be fixed.
The Paramount Chief of the Sirigu Traditional Area, Naba Roland Akwara III has expressed an even greater form of worry over the lack of work on the broken bridge. He spoke to A1 Radio’s Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show today, June 29, 2023.
Naba Akwara III explained that he had visited the District Assembly, the Upper East Regional Minister, the Regional Director for Feeder Roads, Members of Parliament for Navrongo Central, Bongo and Chiana-Paga, as well as the Minister in charge of Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta and explained the situation and yet, the many promises notwithstanding, nothing has been done to fix the bridge.
The delay in constructing the broken bridges has been attributed to the lack of resources. The DCE for the Kassena-Nankana District, Gerard Ataogye made these comments when he spoke to A1 Radio’s Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show.
“A team was sent down [from the Ministry of Roads and Highways]. When they went back, we followed up. It is about the mobilisation of resources. The specific time [for which] the bridges would be constructed. I have to be honest about that. I know it’ll be done, but it takes time. The assurance is that they would come,” he said.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
