Stop over-burdening contractors - Road Agencies told

Dunkwa-On-Offin, May 21, GNA - Alhaji Amadu Seidu, Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, on Tuesday called for an effective collaboration among road agencies in the country to help check overburdening of road contractors with contracts. He said because there was no collaboration among the road agencies, some contractors acquired too many contracts from the road departments, which they could not effectively execute, thereby, resulting in shoddy works and delays.

Alhaji Seidu, who is also the Ranking Member on Roads and Transport in Parliament, said this when members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transports inspected work on some ongoing road projects in the Twifo-Heman-Lower-Denkyira and Upper Denkyira Districts as part of a week tour of the Central Region. The members inspected work on the upgrading of the 20kilometre Twifo-Praso-Dunkwa road, sectional re-gravelling and spot improvement on phases I and II of the Aboabo-Asikuma and the Heman-Brukusu roads valued at over GH¢3,334.

Apart from the Twifo-Praso-Dunkwa road contract, which was terminated last year for re-design, work on the other roads expected to be completed some time next year, was progressing. Alhaji Seidu urged the contractors not to acquire too many contracts that they could not easily handle within a given deadline. He also appealed to them, to always use good quality materials and desist from doing shoddy work. Moreover, Alhaji Seidu expressed concern about the inadequate personnel in the road Ministry stressing that, the few who are there over-stretched themselves and coupled with the lack of logistics, they found it difficult to do proper monitoring and supervision of road works.

He was also unhappy that most of the roads projects in the districts were behind schedule and attributed the situation to the lack of timely payment of contractors and the lack of materials. Mr Yaw Ntow-Ababio, Deputy Chairman of the committee, however, was satisfied with the work done so far. He said Government was committed to improving the road network and that it was for such reason that it acquired 85million dollars loan from the Social Security Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to pay road contractors last year.

Again, he said, Government has approved a 15km stretch of road in each District this year. Mr Samuel Obodai, Deputy Central Region Minister expressed the worry that contracts were still being awarded to non-performing contractors and urged the Ministry of Transport to check the practice.