Minister gives ultimatum to Kaladan Park contractors

Tamale, Feb. 25, GNA - Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Sports on Wednesday gave a two-month ultimatum to contractors working on the grassing aspect of the Kaladan Park renovation in Tamale to finish and hand it over for use.

He said, "I am highly disappointed about the slow progress of work at the park and you must make sure that the park is ready for use before the end of April so that the people of Tamale particularly, Real Tamale United FC(RTU) and its supporters can use it".

The Deputy Minister said this when he paid a day's official visit to the park to see the progress of work and to know how best the government could help to ensure the speedy completion of the renovation of the park, which started in 1996 and had not yet been completed. He said the social consequences of the delay in completing the park and handing it over for use were that sporting activities in the region would go down drastically, giving room for the youth to idle about since they would have no place for recreation.

Mr Aggrey said the government was more committed to the progress and completion of the Kaladan and Nkawkaw parks to ensure that the people in those areas enjoyed football like those in Accra, Kumasi and other premier league centres.

He said it was unacceptable for the contractors to leave the grass to dry up with the excuse of lack of water when pipes lines could have easily been installed to give adequate water supply to the grass rather than depending on rainwater.

"In the absence of rainwater, does it mean there should be no work to ensure the people enjoy their football", he asked.

The Deputy Minister told the contractors that the government had met its commitment of paying all monies meant for the completion of the grassing and that the contractors had no excuse to complain about unavailability of water to ensure the growth of grass on the park when even drier countries like Burkina Faso have green grass on their playing fields.