Regional Minister calls for peaceful environment for all parties

Koforidua, Aug 16, GNA - The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram-Asiedu, has urged Municipal and District Chief executives in the region to ensure a peaceful and conducive environment for a smooth campaign for all political parties.

He said "carrying out this responsibility is imperative in the quest for peaceful and credible results that would be acceptable to all".

The Regional Minister said this at a meeting with all the chief executives in the region on Friday.

Matters discussed at the meeting bordered on education, health, water and sanitation, security and road safety. On road safety, he said the situation on the roads was not satisfactory and appealed to districts that are accident prone to institute measures to reduce them.

The Akuapem North and Fanteakwa district chief executives who corroborated the view of the regional Minister said plans were far advanced to plant bamboo trees as an embankment along the steep of the mountains surrounding main roads. Mr Edward Adu-Aboagye, District Chief Executive of Akwapim North, said they had identified special species of bamboos for those projects and mentioned specifically the Mamfe/Koforidua road where accidents had claimed many lives in the past six months as the main area they had earmarked. Mr Stephen Anokye, Fanteakwa, the regional road safety coordinator, said accidents are reducing in the region following strategies adopted nationwide. He said the region was located in the triangle of accident routes in the country namely the Accra/Kumasi trunk road and Accra/Aflao road that accounted for about 65 percent of all accidents and 42 percent of fatalities. Mr Anokye said despite intensified efforts by the Motto Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) and the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA), the incidence of drunken driving, driver fatigue and overloading were rampant on the roads. He therefore appealed to the MDCE's and leaders of political parties to caution their followers to observe road traffic signs.