Railway Authority razes shacks, squatters at Tesano

The Ghana Railway Authority, on Monday, 16 July 2018, bulldozed illegal structures dotted along the railway line at Tesano in Accra to pave the way for the railway expansion project.

Dr Michael Adjei Anyetei, Deputy Managing Director, Engineering, at the Ghana Railway Authority, told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Monday that the exercise has become necessary following the ongoing implementation of a railway development plan by the authority.

He noted that human activities along the railway lines have negatively affected the development of the railway sector, hence, the need to remove all those illegal structures.

“What we are doing is for the benefit of Ghana, not for a few,” Dr Anyetei said.

He added: “We have realised that the activities of these encroachers have affected the work of the authority in developing the railway line, especially at Tesano, and, so, we had to move them. Even recently, the train that derailed at Tesano, it was due to these same human activities along that stretch.”

“Some of the encroachers have already left and others are still staying there, and, so, we are dealing with those who are still along the stretch”, he added.

Meanwhile, some of the encroachers have pleaded with the authority to give them more time to relocate.

Some of them told Accra News’ Amoako Gyampah that: “We have nowhere to go at the moment, and, so, we plead with the government to come to our support.”

Some others said: “We are women and we know women play important roles in the country, and, so, please the government should be patient with us as we find new places to settle.”