Residents of Apatrapa New Site in the Kwadaso municipality of the Ashanti Region are worried over the poor condition of a bridge in the community.
The state of the bridge has compelled traders and students to walk long distances to their homes because vehicles cannot use it. Walking around the bridge also exposes residents to the risk of drowning
Hon. Collins Boamah told Real Estate Times Africa “One of my severe headaches is this bridge. My people are suffering and we need assistance. One month on, the state of the bridge has worsened as a part of it has been left hanging while other parts including the broken culvert have been swept away by a heavy flood.”
Residents say the bridge collapsed in early 2019.
One of the residents recounted “Whenever our family members or neighbors go out, we think of them because anything is possible on that bridge, we need help.”
Wofa Atta a residence of the electoral area expressed his dissatisfaction saying “When it rains heavily, school children around this area are not able to go to school. Even drivers and commuters are not able to use this stretch to their destinations. So, we are appealing to the Government to come to our aid. With the current state of the bridge, we are really suffering. If the authorities fail to fix our bridge, it means that our votes have gone to waste. It is really difficult for us, especially in the rainy season.”
Hon. Boamah said some criminals have taken advantage of the situation to rob people on the bridge “For the past two years citizens have experienced more than 10 gunpoint robberies on the bridge, some have suffered cutlass wounds. Among all the electoral area in the Kwadaso Municipality, my electoral area has become a hub for the robbers due to the nature of our bridge.”
According to him, he wakes up before 6am everyday to go to the bridge to guide students over it and does the same when the students close from school.
“We lack a lot of social amenities. Aside the collapsed bridge, this electoral area is new and we need toilets, water, a market, sanitation and other facilities that would ease the residents’ burden.”
Hon. Boamah called on non-governmental organizations and other investors to come to their aid to boost the economy and the progress of the citizens. “We have land available to use for a market but we don’t have the resources to start the project. Anyone who can help us to construct the market and any other developmental projects with better terms and conditions can come over for negotiations.”
He commended the district police commander for his cooperation in fighting crime in his electoral area and asked him to do more to drive apprehend all criminals.
“Our demands are in order; we are only appealing to the authorities to fix our bridge as soon as possible to avoid worse disaster in this electoral area” added Agya Sei, Chairman of the Landlords Association in the community.
Source: Kwabena Frimpong Manso (Journalist, Real Estate Times Africa)
