Minister orders two districts to share pontoon revenue

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu has directed Kpando and Afram Plains District Assemblies to share the proceeds from the state-donated pontoon operating on the Volta Lake between Kpando-Torkor and Agordeke equally to ensure equity in the revenue being generated from the service.

Mr Baah-Wiredu gave the directive when the Afram Plains District Chief Executive, Mr Ben Anokye told him only the Kpando District benefited from the revenue generated by the pontoon.

Mr Anokye took Mr Baa-wiredu round to inspect facilities the assembly had provided at the Agordeke Pontoon docking site constructed after the 1995 boat disaster in which over 200 people lost their lives on the Volta Lake.

The facilities included a six-bedroom staff quarters for the pontoon staff, a 12-kilometre link road to Amankwa-Tornu, the former landing site, a passenger lounge and toilet facilities built at a total cost over 800 million cedis.

Mr Anokye recalled that after the disaster, which involved a boat owned by the Afram Plains District, the government procured a pontoon to ferry passengers between the two neighbouring districts.

He said due to the fact that the Afram Plains District Assembly had not yet completed the provision of the new facilities before the pontoon was provided in 1996, it had to berth at the Volta River Authority (VRA) Port Kpando-Torkor.

Mr Anokye, however, said since then, only the Kpando District Assembly had been the beneficiary of the revenue accruing from the pontoon till date. He also complained that after the pontoon departs at 5pm from Agordeke on its last lap for the day, patients from the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital who needed immediate attention in Accra had had to suffer fatal consequences.

Mr Baah-Wiredu promised that an additional pontoon would be provided. He inspected the mass grave for the boat disaster victims and called on the District Assembly to develop the place as a tourist site, where annual memorial activities for the lost souls could be organised.

The Minister later inspected on-going road rehabilitation projects and the completed Forifori Clinic.