Volta chiefs go wild over bad roads

The chiefs and people of various traditional areas in the North Tongu District in the Volta region are on a collision course with the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the poor state of the Juapong-Adidome and the Kpong-Aveyime roads.

According to the angry chiefs, they were getting fed up with the “failed and empty promises” by President Mahama to fix the roads and thus their patience was fast waning.

Consequently, they served notice of their intention to stage protests against the government to compel it to refurbish the deteriorating roads.

The chiefs subsequently disclosed in an interview with Today that sick persons were carried on motorbikes and bicycles to Battor Roman Catholic and Adidome Government Hospitals due to the deplorable state of the Juapong-Adidome and Kpong-Aveyime roads.

The traditional rulers who spoke to this reporter included Volor, Juapong, Aveyime, Battor, Mepe, Dordikorpe, Alaboo Dofor and Adidome.

They observed that the roads in the district had become death traps for motorists and passengers to use.

Describing the two roads as election bait, they noted that government and its functionaries only spoke about the roads during elections and forgot about them afterwards.

"We are bit matured. It seems that road is always being used as bait by government to garner votes from us," one of the traditional rulers asserted.

The chiefs of Volor, Mepe, and Dofor pointed out that each time the people in the communities traveled to Juapong and Kpong, by the time they got to their destinations their whole bodies and the dresses would become dirty.

They also feared about the risks the constant inhalation of copious amounts of dust posed to their health.

They indicated that the Mahama-led NDC government had neglected North Tongu District for a very long time.

“The sick are dying as a result of the bad nature of roads in the district, so if we do not see any improvement on them then we will embark on a massive demonstration and we will make sure we sustain it till the right things are done,” the chiefs warned.

The chiefs stated that business activities were being affected as a result of the poor road network.

They recounted that President Mahama promised in the run-up to the 2012 polls that the NDC government would ensure that the Juapong-Adidome and Kpong-Aveyime roads were constructed.

The chiefs of Mepe, Volo, Battor, Aveyime, Dorfu-Adidome, Alabo, Amesiemekorfe and Juapong within the North Tongu Constituency wondered why President Mahama failed to construct the roads and also improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of the area.

Today gathered that the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration in partnership with the Japanese International Development Agency (JICA,) started funding the construction of the 55-kilometre road from Sokode-Gbogame-Juapong through Abutia and the 13-kilometre Sokode-Gbogame-Bame road, which shortened the distance between Ho and Hohoe, and Juapong-Adidome and Kpong-Aveyime.