Residents of Tarkwa in the Western Region have blocked the main Tarkwa – Takoradi road to protest the deplorable state of the over 10 kilometre Tarkwa-Ahietieso stretch of the main road.
The road was blocked at exactly 6:00am Wednesday. For every 250 meters on the stretch, the residents have mounted a barrier and are burning vehicle tyres, a situation that has prevented vehicles from moving from both sides of the road.
This situation has caused gridlock on the road, as the residents have vowed to remove the barriers to traffic only after midday today.
Schoolchildren and scores of workers whose offices are along the stretch have been forced to make their journey on foot.
The protesters who form the Concerned Residents of Tarkwa have given the government one-week to fix the road or they will use an excavator to cut through the road.
According to them, respiratory diseases are now on the increase in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality due to the incessant dust emanating from the road.
Pregnant women are also losing their pregnancies in view of the dumpy nature of the road, the claimed.
The group said despite the huge revenue government collects from various mining companies in Tarkwa their social amenities, especially their roads, are in a sorry state.
Shop owners, operators of hotels and eateries along the road also complain of low sales.
According to them they have sent videos of the road to the road minister Kwesi Amoako Attah but nothing has happened.
President of the Concerned Residents of Tarkwa, David Kumi, insisted successive governments have not been fair to Tarkwa.
He claimed that three months ago, the Minister of Roads came to inspect the road and promised the people that a contractor will be given the necessary funds to begin work on the road, but said nothing has been done so far.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana
