MPs call on govt to source funds to finance road construction

Begoro (E/R), Aug. 12, GNA- Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Roads and Transport ended their one-week tour of the Eastern Region at the weekend and advised government to look for more resources to finance road construction instead of over-reliance on the road fund. Speaking at a wrap-up meeting after the tour, a member of the committee, Mr. Oppong Kusi observed that, the road fund was meant for road maintenance but it seemed that, the fund was being used for construction of roads which was stretching the fund.

He said, if the state of road construction in the country was to continue at it is now, it would take about 30 years for the country to be able to construct the kilometers of roads needed to support the country's economic development.

Mr. Kusi therefore suggested that government look for more funds to support the road fund in the provision of more roads. The Ranking Member of Road and Transport, Alhaji Amadu Seidu called on the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads and Urban Road to strengthen their supervision of road contracts to ensure that the contractors performed to satisfaction.

He suggested the use of recycling technology in road construction to help reduce cost and the stress that some contractors go through when working in areas without stone quarries.

Mr. Kofi Dwomo called for efforts to reduce the number of signatories on contract certificate and also for early payment of contract works, an idea which was shared by many members of the committee.

He called on road engineers in the Eastern Region to help reduce the number of curves when designing new roads and also to consider the creation of pedestrian walk ways along the roads for the safety of people using the roads.

In a welcoming address to the committee to Fanteakwa District, the last district where the committee toured in the region, the District Chief Executive, Mr Ebenezer Ofoe Ceasar, said the roads in the district were in a deplorable state, especially the Begoro township roads.

He said this year, the government had made provision for the rehabilitation of two kilometers of the Begoro township roads and also for the tarring of five kilometers of road on the Begoro-Obooso road. Mr. Ceasar said Bososo-Dwenase-Abompe-Hemang road was in a very bad state that needed rehabilitation but he was informed that there was no money and therefore appealed to the members of the committee inspect that road for them to advice and support the district.