<<Print>>

Some residents of Kpenoe, Takla and Hodzo in the Volta Region are not happy with construction works being undertaken by contractors Vellim and Co Limited.

This follows reports of shoddy works on a road that stretches from Ho 66 Artillery Regiment through Kpenoe, Takla to Hodzo.

The residents are unhappy about cracks in the drainage system being constructed.

Assembly member for Takla Electoral Area, Mr Jacob Klu, in a media interview, charged the Roads Ministry to dispatch independent officials to access work on the road.

“Portions of the road from Barracks to Kpenoe are being covered with clay instead of gravels,” he claimed.

“The basement of the filling must be dug and removed because it doesn’t serve any purpose if you use a substandard material beneath and later fill it up with a good material,” he revealed.

Meanwhile, the Director of Operations with Feeder Roads in the Volta Region, Mr Edward Asenso, in an interview, said “we identified that there were some substandard materials being used by the contractor and we shall go on the road to make sure the right thing is done.”

Background

Following numerous demonstrations by chiefs and people of Kpenoe, Takla and Hodzo over the deplorable state of their roads, the government at that time, led by former President John Dramani Mahama, awarded the almost 20-kilometre road on contract.

Paramount Chief of Kpenoe, Togbui Kotoku XI, during a press briefing at that time, said they were compelled to resort to demonstrations following several failed petitions to the government to help construct the road.

The chiefs said the area, which serves as a major food basket for the regional capital and the country, has been cut off due to the bad nature of the roads.

“We feel so isolated and can’t tell if we are part of the Ho Municipal Assembly. Currently, the reliable means of transport is by foot. The few motorcycles plying the route are irregular and unsafe with stories of crashes and breakdowns of the motorcycles weekly. The communities, once forming the food basket of Ho and Agro-based backbone for the local economy, are fast losing that relevance,” he stated at that time.

It was all joy when the road was awarded and the continuation works approved by the New Patriotic Party government.

Residents are, however, disappointed with the way work is being done on the road. The chiefs have therefore asked that an independent assessment be done on it.