Stop development projects near railways - Minister

Accra, Dec 23, GNA- Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, the Minister of Railways, Ports and Harbours, on Tuesday ordered countrywide immediate cessation of all new development projects within 100 feet from railway lines.

Also, he said the Ministry had directed the District and Metropolitan Assemblies not to issue any new permits for developments on lands originally meant for the Ghana Railways Corporation.

Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, gave the warning in Accra, when he led a team of officials from the Ministry and the Ghana Railways to inspect the state of railways lines o the Accra-Tema rail track..

He visited Asoprotsonaa Station near Sakumono, a bridge close to the Spintex Bypass at the Parakuo Estate, the Batsonaa Station and the damaged bridge at Maatetsuru, near the Airport Hills.

The Minister said rehabilitation work on the 22-kilometre Accra-Tema Railway was to commence in January 2004, and warned that any structure that interfered with countrywide rail rehabilitation work would be pulled down and the developers prosecuted. At the stations, large portions of the rail tracks had been buried in sand, and other parts hung on earth, of which a large part had been dug by sand winners.

At a bridge close to the Spintex Byepass, liquid waste flows from surrounding communities of the Parakuo Estate, Sakumono Estate and the Lashibi Estate through a gutter and covered the railway. Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi said big machines would soon come to dredge the sand that had buried the rails, and he called for the diversion and widening of the artificial gutter, to redirect its contents.

He further promised to hold a meeting with the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive for a discussion on the drain. Mr Michael Adjei, Accra Area Engineer conducted the Minister's team round.