Tolls do not go into Road Fund – MP

Mr Owusu-Aduomi Kwabena, Deputy Ranking Member for Roads and Transport, said the quarterly report of Ghana Highway Authority showed that payment has not been made to the Road Fund from January 2011 to date but road tolls are being paid.

Mr Owusu-Aduomi said there were a lot of pot holes on the country’s roads which make motoring very difficult but efforts are not being made to maintain them.

Mr Charles Hodogbey, Member for North Tongu, on a point of order disagreed with the NPP member on the road fund but Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Minority Leader, said the Member for Ejisu-Juaben had official evidence which he was using to defend himself.

Mr Owusu-Aduomi said the Road Fund have not been appropriately managed because “we have allowed the fund to be in a bad nature”, adding, the Government had not paid the needed attention to routine maintenance and the roads were going bad.

Mr Seth Terkpeh, Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, said the Government was committed to paying all outstanding arrears on road maintenance.

Mr Hodogbey again said the previous administration under the Kufuor administration left roads unfinished and the Government of Atta Mills cannot start new projects and place a blind eye on the road projects.

He said there has been accountability and transparency in the disbursement of funds to MASLOC due to other social interventions; cash has been placed in the pockets of the people.

Nana Abu Bonsai, Member for Fomena, said the STX housing project ground at Achimota has become a hunting ground.

He questioned when the STX project would be completed and “by who, Koreans, Ghanaians or which people would?”

Mr Bedzra Emmanuel, Member for Ho West, said the Government had constructed a many  Senior Secondary Schools as well as technical schools.

Nana Akomea, Member for Okaikwei South, said the budget a “well dodge budget”  because the government’s promises in the 2011 budget have been “dodged”.

Source: GNA