Buoyem chief appeals for rehabilitation of roads

Buoyem (B/A), Dec 1, GNA- The deplorable roads in Buoyem area in the Techiman District has made it impossible for the tourism attractions to be developed in the area, Okomafo Dwamena Akenten IV, Buoyemhene, has said.

He said this at a mini-durbar in honour of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Nana Kwadwo Seinti, who was on a visit to the town as part of a tour of the district.

Okomafo Dwamena Akenten said the town has one of the best tourist sites in the country including the bat colony and caves which, if properly harnessed, could bring in enough revenue for the area's development.

He said tourists, who travel to Buoyem have to use the Techiman-Offuman road and that the bad road network was hampering the marketing of farm produce and the promotion of education.

Okomafo Akenten said the town is noted for the production of tomato, cassava and maize, most of which get rotten because of the bad roads.

He said the situation worsens during the rainy season and this discouraged most youth in the area to take to farming.

The chief said teachers have refused to accept postings to the area as a result of the bad roads and appealed to the Regional Minister to use his good offices to get the Techiman-Buoyem road tarred.

Other roads that also needed to be rehabilitated are Buoyem-Akonkonti, Buoyem-Betooda-Bonya and Birempua-Tenabia feeder roads to enable farmers to transport their produce to marketing centres.

The chief said Asueyi and Mesidan, two sister towns, have decided to break away from the Buoyem Area Council and appealed to the Regional Minister to help Buoyem to have its own area council without the two towns.

Okomafo Akenten appealed to the Regional Minister to help the community to provide boys/girls' hostels, classrooms and staff bungalows for Buoyem Senior Secondary School (SSS) to meet the increasing enrolment.

The school lacks means of transport, he said and appealed to all those who fled during the 1996 chieftaincy crisis in the area to return and contribute to the development of the area.

Nana Seinti promised to do his best with the requests but advised the chiefs in the area to be patient and give him ample time to handle the issues.

At Tanoso, the chiefs and people commended the government for its good governance, which had brought relative peace and freedom in the country.

They also commended President John Agyekum Kufour's peace initiatives in the sub-region and expressed the hope that absolute peace would return to Dagbon state.

At Tanoso the chiefs and people said they were not satisfied with decisions taken by some courts on armed robbery cases.

''We want to state that armed robbers do not deserve any liberties, so they must not be granted bail. We entreat government to establish special courts in the regional capitals to deal with robbery cases,'' they said.

They expressed their appreciation to the Techiman District Assembly for donating six million cedis to Tanoso Vocational Institute, helping in the re-roofing of the Local Authority Junior Secondary School (JSS) workshop, construction of the Danso market and the rehabilitation of the Asutia/Mephia feeder road.

They appealed for the upgrading of Tanoso Health Centre into a hospital and reactivate abandoned irrigation development projects in the town.

With the elevation of Techiman to municipal status, they suggested that Kuntunso and Hansu area be placed directly under Techiman so that settler communities like Asubrofo, Asutia, Mpehia, Koforidua and Sereso could come under Tanoso town council.