Tanoso traders angry with government

Correspondence from Ashanti Region

Traders along the Tanoso-Abuakwa road in the Ashanti region, are fuming with anger over the delay in the commencement of the road construction.

About two months ago, structures which housed different businesses along the stretch were demolished by authorities to pave way for the much-awaited road construction.

But after the hurriedly organised exercise which affected several businesses, work is yet to commence.

The development has angered the many people who lost their source of livelihoods and are struggling to make ends meet.

Until the exercise was carried out, the affected areas were a hub of varied economic activities.

The affected traders, most of whom are idling in the house, are unhappy that their businesses have been pulled down and yet work has not begun.

According to them, there was no need for the demolition, if the government knew it was not ready immediately to commence work.

"We could have stayed in business and made some money by now to take care of our families but they sacked us and yet nothing is happening," a disgruntled trader told Ghanaweb.

They said they even made passionate appeals to authorities to let them stay in business till the end of the year but they were ignored.

"We even asked that they allow us to operate till the end of the year because we have just come out of lockdown and things are hard but they didn't understand" another infuriated trader pointed out.

Another incensed trader noted, "we could not battle it out with them because we knew people wanted the road to be constructed to ease the traffic congestion".

But after several weeks of the demolition and nothing concrete is happening, the traders indicated that they are disappointed in the government.

Some of the aggrieved traders who claimed to be supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party ( NPP), took their anger further by saying that they were not going to vote in the December 7 general elections.

"We are supporters of the NPP and we appreciate the good works of the government but we think that the government was not fair to us in this circumstance.

Ironically, compensation on buildings and structures along the stretch of the road was fully paid before ex-President Kufuor exited office in January 2009.

That road construction of which funds were secured by former president Kufuor in the dying embers of his regime has stayed in the nation's annual budget since.

What is holding the commencement of the project is still a mystery which can be unravelled by the powers that be.

The Tanoso-Abuakwa road is one of the busiest road networks in the country as it connects more than two regions.

But interestingly, the traffic congestion on that stretch is an eyesore which cannot be compared to any in the country.