Landowners to protest for compensation

Landowners whose properties have been destroyed as a result of the re-construction of the Suhum-Kwafokrom stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway have given an ultimatum to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to pay the compensation due them.

A group of affected persons, led by John Tagbe, their spokesperson, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning had handed a release letter for their money to be paid by the Controller and Accountant’s-General’s Department (CAGD) in August 6, 2013.

The amount covers both the GH¢23, 11,449 owed affected persons on the Suhum-Nsawam road and the GH¢8,598,676 to those on the Madina-Pantang stretch.

Mr Tagbe said since the release of the letter, the group visited the office of the CAGD but no good response had come out adding that the group would protest for the non-payment of the money.

He said the affected persons have complained that they were suffering since some of them did not have anywhere to sleep and were depending on friends to survive.

Mr Tagbe said those whose farms were affected did not have any job presently since they lacked the finances to acquire new land to continue their farming and were depending on others to survive.

The affected people include landlords; chop bar operators, mechanics, farmers, welders and electricians whose properties were demolished to pave the way for the construction of the two major roads.

Work on the Nsawam-Suhum road started on December 17, 2008, while that on the Madina-Pantang stretch began on July 29, 2009.

The 5.6 kilometer Madina-Pantang dual carriage is a GH¢38.7 million project being undertaken by the China Water and Electric Corporation.

Source: GNA