‘Akatsi-North road rehabilitation already programmed’

Mr. James Gunu, the Akatsi North District Chief Executive, has assured residents of the area that there were far reaching plans by the government to rehabilitate roads in the area.

He was reacting to a story carried by the GNA that a group, Concerned Youth of Akatsi-North, wanted the roads in the district fixed as they were generally impassable especially after rains.

Mr Gunu said while not against the group raising concerns, he thought it (Group) could have found out about the situation on the ground before coming out.

“The indication now is that that Group is completely out of touch with the situation on the ground”, the DCE stated.

Mr Gunu said the government, for that matter the Assembly, was not aloof to the situation and that those roads had already been selected for rehabilitation.

Mr Gunu claimed that if the Group members had attended the recent heavily patronized novelty Public Accounts Forum by the Assembly on its stewardship they would not have come out with that statement about the roads.

Mr. Gunu said the “facts are the roads have already been considered and given on contract for reshaping, but what has delayed works are the current rains”.

“The contractors are ready and would come to site soon,” he stated.

Mr. Gunu said of the total 108.1 kilometers of engineered feeder roads in the district, the Department of Feeder Roads awarded 85 kilometers of it on contract, leaving just 23.1 kilometers.

He gave those on award as Ave-Dakpa-Korve-Avega-Agormor-Zemu-Akatsi as well as Ave-Afiadenyigba-Adzigo-Ahorkpor-Avevi-Kpodzivi-Akatsi.

He said besides 9.2 kilometers of the remaining 23.1 kilometers is to be tackled under the $200,000 Ghana Social Opportunity Project (GSOP) which the Akatsi-North District only in the southern part of the Volta Region is a beneficiary.

“Yevi-Kpohe and Ative-Nudowukope roads, which are 7.0 and 2.0 kilometers respectively are also benefiting under the GSOP facility”, he said.

Mr. Gunu said “the Assembly itself has decided to take care of the remaining 13.9 kilometers of the roads and there is therefore no engineered feeder road in the area not considered.”

The DCE said a portion of the Aflao/Ho trunk road passing through the district was also being fixed.

Mr. Gunu said the Assembly was taking inventory of all un-engineered feeder roads in the area to have them opened up.

He said under its own foresight and initiative, the Assembly, during the Street Naming and Property Addressing project, opened up some un-engineered roads at Ave-Dakpa, the district capital.

“We will be moving to other communities in the area also to open up un-engineered roads”, he said.