Minister pledges to keep an eye on contractors
Mr Albert Abongo, the Upper East Regional Minister, has said he would keep an eye on road contractors to ensure quality work and blacklist those who engage in shoddy work.
He said the road network in the Region was his priority on the development agenda and he would do his best to see that the roads were well maintained.
The Minister said this during an inspection tour of some roads in the Bongo District to ascertain the level of deterioration on those roads.
The roads inspected included the Yorogo –Bogrigo-Dua Feeder Road, Bongo Soe and Balungu and the Namoo -Boko Roads.
Mr Abongo, explaining the import of the visit to journalists, said it provided him the opportunity to see the level of deterioration on the roads and how he could organise for their maintenance to make them accessible to farming communities.
Mr Stephen Quainoo, the Deputy Regional Feeder Roads Director, in an explanation to the Minister’s question, said the Yorogo-Dua Road, which required rehabilitation and the construction of a major culvert, was awarded two years ago under the routine maintenance programme of Feeder Roads.
But, he said, it was terminated due to inefficiency and undue delay by the contractor.
He said an old culvert, removed by the contractor along the Balungu Road, had worsened the condition of the road.
Mr Quainoo, therefore, recommended the construction of a retaining wall to reduce erosion.
He said estimates for the construction of four culverts and three approaches had been completed and submitted to the appropriate authorities, but some minor intervention work would begin in May 2016, pending the approval of budget estimates.
Mr Mohammed Abdullah Billey, the Regional Director of the Ghana Highways Authority, said the Bongo- Soe and Bongo -Balungu Roads were expected to have major works linking Sumbrungu in the Bolgatanga Municipality, when approved.
Mr Billey recommended an embankment protection on the Boko-Namoo highway, where there was heavy flow of water during rains, saying another suitable culvert was needed to control excess water.
Source: GNA