Gbawe residents bemoan roads condition

Residents of McCarthy Down and C-Connie communities in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have decried the state of their roads, describing them as “threats to life and property”.

The roads have supposedly not seen any rehabilitation for the past 20 years, while there is no drainage system in the neighbourhood to cater for heavy rains.

It has left the area prone to perennial flooding.

Effect

Some roads at McCarthy Down linking the Mallam and Oblogo roads show deep gulleys caused by the rains.

“Taxi drivers feel reluctant to come near our houses when we go to town. We have to walk from the main junction to our houses which is tedious, especially when you have luggage to carry,” said a resident who gave her name only as Charlotte.

Mr Somuah Freddie, a landlord in the community, said attempts to rent out one of his houses over the past one year had proven futile because of the condition of the road.

“Anytime I bring people here, they like the house but the road discourages them. They are scared their saloon cars may get damaged when they use the road to the house frequently,” he said.

Neglect

The Chairman of the Alpha Community Development Association, a community-based group formed to champion the interest of the people of Mccarthy Down, Mr Roland Anning, told the Daily Graphic that they felt neglected by the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly.

“They have asphalted the Top Base to Weija Junction road. Same as Bulemin, but this vicinity was left out. I asked the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Patrick Kwesi Brako Kumor, and he said those areas (with improved roads) formed community groups to champion their interests,” he claimed.

“He advised us to form a community-based association before they could assist us. He said we have to mobilise ourselves, work hard before they could assist us. I do not buy this argument because it is their responsibility to give this community a facelift. That is why they are voted into power,” Mr Anning complained.

C-Connie

At the C-Connie road, bags of sand have dotted portions of the road to fill gulleys created by erosion to make them motorable for vehicles.

Such was the bad state of the road that a Nissan Micra saloon car plying the road asked a passenger on board to alight so the vehicle could descend a portion of the road.

The MCE for Weija-Gbawe called on the residents to exercise restraint, saying “nobody will neglect any part of the municipality”.

“We have 14 electoral areas, so when you are spreading development, you share it equally among the areas. We are aware of the situation at C-Connie. The engineers have been there to pick inventory of that road. We are just waiting for the Department of Urban Roads to award a contract for that section of the road for construction. If the department does not give the green light, the assembly cannot construct that road,” he explained.

Property rate

He also called on the residents to pay their property rate, saying “it is what gives us the guideline as to which areas the assembly would want to put development first”.

“We put all these into consideration before we decide as to who gets it first and who gets it second,” Mr Kumor added.