The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has cautioned surveyors against influencing property owners to reject the government's compensation packages to pave the way for the completion of the existing Accra-Kumasi bypass road project.
He said one of the challenges the project was facing was property owners turning down compensation offers, stating that after relevant agencies had taken inventory, evaluated and put values on properties for compensation to be paid under the law, some surveyors reportedly approached the affected persons and convinced them not to accept the values given to them.
“One of the issues that is affecting two of the contractors borders on compensation.
“We have evaluated and put values on properties, but some people turn around to force them not to take it under the disguise of getting them more than what the government has offered,” he stressed.
Inspection
Mr Agbodza made the remarks last Friday, (August 21) after inspecting ongoing road works within the Sewua enclave to pave the way for the operationalisation of the Ashanti Regional Hospital.
He said the worrying development was led by some lawyers and surveyors and stated “it should not be possible for some professionals to use the law for their personal gain at the expense of the state.
Attack on workers
Citing an example, he stated that while workers of the Kofi Job Construction Limited, a firm working on one of the sections, were on site, some people arrived armed with guns and other weapons to assault the workers.
“We are not taking anybody’s land forcibly without compensation. So all those who are impeding work on the Konongo bypass road should desist from such unpatriotic acts,” he stated.
He indicated that the contractor was ready to work and that people should allow the firm to carry out its work, stressing, “we will involve the Asantehene and the security agencies so that the contractor can complete that section of the road and ease the gridlock within the Konongo town”.
Expressway project
On the expressway project, the minister disclosed that it was left with about 20km of right-of-way clearing to interface with the Kumasi outer ring road and commended the Ghana Armed Forces for its efforts towards the execution of the project.
Similarly, on behalf of the government, he expressed appreciation to those affected by the project who worked with the ministry and other relevant institutions to evaluate and value their properties ahead of the project's implementation.
He reiterated that the expressway project was not a substitute for the existing Accra-Kumasi project, stressing “the new expressway is supposed to be an alternative route to Kumasi and not that we want to abandon ongoing works on the existing one”.
Response
Responding to the issue of compensation and its attendant consequences on the existing Accra-Kumasi road project, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, said all stakeholders, including chiefs, had been invited for a meeting to address it.
“We are ready to provide the contractors the needed security to fast-track the completion of the Konongo bypass road project.
“However, ahead of that, we want to engage the actors to give them the needed assurance that the required compensation will be paid,” Dr Amoakohene said.
