Damongo road to be constructed

Damongo (NR), July 16, GNA - Construction would soon begin on the 151-kilometer road from Damongo Junction to Damongo in the West Gonja District to facilitate the easy movement of people from Tamale to the area.

Mr Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister, who announced this at Damongo at a forum on the feasibility studies of the Fufulso-Sawla road, said the construction of the road was to fulfil the NPP's campaign manifesto to the people.

The forum was to seek the views of the public on the engineering and technical feasibility as well as social and economic viability studies of the road, which had been awarded on contract. In all about 100 people including opinion leaders and sub-chiefs as well as landowners along the road and beyond who would be affected attended the forum.

It afforded the consultants "Associated Consultants" the chance to seek public views on the Draft Final Stage to enable them come out with a comprehensive final report for work to start as early as possible. The two roads, Fufulso-Junction-Sawla and Damongo Junction-Damongo, would be funded by the Africa Development Bank.

Mr Debrah said the social, economic and environmental impact of the work on the people had been discussed, adding that, adequate compensation would be paid for property that would be affected. He said the policy of the government was to build good infrastructure for the country's development and disclosed that the Bamboi-Bole and Tamale-Yendi roads had also been awarded on contract and would be finished within the shortest possible time.

Mr Yaw Opoku-Mensah of the Associated Consultants, who gave an overview of the 147-kilometer Fufulso Junction-Sawla project, said adequate measures had been put in place to protect Wildlife and Reserves. He said the Larabanga Mystic Stone would be protected to attract more tourists to generate income for the District Assembly.

Work would start on the roads as soon as engineering works had been finished on the two roads and finished within a short period, he said. Mr Zakaria Yakubu, District Chief Executive (DCE), commended the government for the initiative and said the road would not only facilitate the easy movement of people from Damongo to the rest of Dagbon but also attract tourist to the Mole National Park.