Repair Nkwanta-Damanko stretch of Eastern Corridor road now, Nkwanta-North residents demand

The people of the Nkwanta North District in the newly created Oti Region have served notice to demonstrate against the government over the deplorable state of the Nkwanta-Damanko stretch of the Eastern Corridor road if no action is taken to remedy the situation.

Currently, the section of the road, which connects the southern part of the country to the north and neighbouring Burkina Faso, is in a bad state and will get worse when the rains begin.

Apart from the potholes that have inundated the road, the heavy vehicles that ply it leave towns such as Bonakye, Kpassa, Sibi and Damanko engulfed in dust.

The residents of that part of the country complained that the bad nature of the road made it difficult for them to cart their farm produce to market centres for sale.

They were particularly worried that the situation had made it very difficult for them to transport patients on referral to hospitals in Nkwanta and Bimbilla in the Volta and the Northern regions, respectively.

Bad situation

After a visit by the Daily Graphic to the Nkwanta North and the Nkwanta South districts last week, it can confirm that the roads are in a very bad shape and dusty as well.

The dust that fills the atmosphere makes vision difficult beyond 100 metres and has negatively affected the daily lives of the people, particularly those living along the road.

Food vendors and vegetable sellers count their losses on a daily basis because the dust pollutes what they put on display and turn customers away.

Action

The Paramount Chief of the Kpassa Traditional Area, Ubor Konja Tassan VI, is mobilising residents to embark on a demonstration for the road to be fixed.

"Past and present governments keep promising to fix this road but have failed to keep their word.

We are also part of the country and so we cannot continue to live as though we are from a different planet.

"We eat dust and drink dust and accidents are increasing because of blurred vision.

We are staging a demonstration in the coming days to let the President and the authorities know that we are part of this country," he told the Daily Graphic.

Ubor Konja said he was engaging all who mattered to convene a meeting of stakeholders and opinion leaders, including the leadership of political parties, to undertake the exercise.

DCE appeals

Meanwhile, the Nkwanta North District Assembly has suspended the regular watering of Kpassa town roads, a measure that was meant to contain the dust.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Jackson Jakayi, said the regular watering of the roads had drained the assembly's coffers.

“While we appeal to the chiefs and the people to be a bit patient, I think urgent steps must be taken to construct the road," he said.