FOUR farming communities, namely Bomponso Number One, Bomponso Number two, Obupeko and Boatey often referred to as Larteh, all in the East Akyem Municipality, are noted for the production of cocoa and other food crops such as cassava, maize, plantain and cocoyam.
The people in those communities together with a number of nearby settlements all of which lie within six kilometres from Kukurantumi, also produce palm oil which together with the food crops are transported to various markets such as Koforidua, Nkawkaw and Accra through Kukurantumi.
The inhabitants of the communities which can be described as one of the bread baskets of East Akyem, were before 1997 carrying the foodstuffs and cocoa on the head through a footpath to Kukurantumi for vehicles to take to their final destinations.
Due to the difficulties that process entailed, in 1997, the people appealed to the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration to construct a road to link three of the villages, namely Bomponso Number One, Obupeko and Larteh, which are in the same location while the inhabitants of the other village, which is about one-and-half kilometres away, had to join the access road leading to Kukurantumi through a footpath.
The road, which has a bailey bridge spanning the Bompon River and extended to Abisim Dawa to join the main Nankese-Adarkwa-Suhum road and served as the only artery for the transportation of goods and the people, especially the sick and women in labour, to the hospitals at Suhum and Koforidua, has been very beneficial to the communities.
However, in 2003, constructional work commenced on a new road from Bomponso Number Two to Kukurantumi, which cut off the three main communities, Bomponso Number One, Obupeko and Larteh, leading to dwellers of the three villages joining the new road through a footpath.
A point worth noting is that a new bridge would have to be constructed over the same river at a different spot on the new road thus rendering the present bailey bridge on the old road a white elephant.
Realising the emerging confusion and attendant difficulties to be faced by the majority of people in the communities involved, attempts were made by some notable persons, including the New Patriotic Party Presidential candidate in the previous elections, Nana Akufo-Addo, to resolve the matter but without success.
To hasten the resolution of the problem, residents of the three communities petitioned the Eastern Regional Minister with copies of the petition letter dated May 20, this year, to the East Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Simon Peter Asirifi, and the Eastern Regional Roads Engineer.
Part of the letter reads, “We the chiefs and people of the four farming communities, Bomponso Number One, Bomponso Number Two, Obopeko and Larteh, applied for the construction of a feeder road through our area which was approved and the construction started a few years ago.
“The first phase started from Kukurantumi Junction to Bomponso Number One and the second phase was supposed to continue from Bomponso Number One through Bomponso Number Two to join the Nankese-Adarkwa-Suhum road at Adjartey, but instead it started from Adjartey and when it reached Bomponso Number Two, the people there stopped the work because they were not in favour of the road passing through Bomponso Number One.”
The leaders of three of the communities, Bomponso Number One, Obupeko and Larteh, namely Elder Henry Tetteh, an opinion leader, Mr Tettey Anyaanumeh, the assembly member, Nene Narh Kofi and Nene Ofori Lartey Adikrofo, respectively of Obupeko and Bomponso Number One told the Daily Graphic that at this stage they prevailed on their people to maintain the peace.
That, according to them, was when a half-naked woman unexpectedly threw herself in front of a bulldozer working on the road in protest against the new road passing through Bomponso Number One.
“We asked our people not to do anything to disturb the peace when the woman threw herself in front of the bulldozer, which also luckily did not run over her, and called on the MCE as a matter of urgency to see how best to resolve the impasse,” they stated.
Some of the inhabitants of Bomponso Number Two who also spoke to the Daily Graphic stated that the old road had cut them off and would therefore want their own road, adding that the new road had to be constructed at all cost.
But the question is should a new road and a new bridge be constructed to serve only one community in the same area which already has a road network linking most of the communities?
Is it not appropriate to use the resources for the construction of the new road and a new bridge to fully rehabilitate the old road which is currently motorable while a short arterial road would be constructed from Bomponso Number Two to link the old road?
While officials of the Regional Office of the Department of Feeder Roads were not available for comments on the issue, the East Akyem MCE, Mr Simon Asirifi, acknowledged the problem and said he was planning to meet the leaders of all the communities involved to resolve the impasse.
He, however, stated that it was only the Department of Feeder Roads which could determine where the road should pass.
“I am aware there is a problem as to where the road should pass and although I will be meeting them any moment from now to resolve the crisis, it is the Department of Feeder Roads which can determine where the road should pass after which the assembly will source for funds for the rehabilitation of the old road or the construction of the new one,” the MCE stated.
Looking at the situation, the only solution is for the Department of Feeder Roads to come out as soon as possible on the direction of the road and if possible ensure that short arterial roads would be constructed to link the communities.
This would go a long way to alleviate the suffering of the people in the area, which is known to be one of the leading cocoa and food crop producing areas in the municipality.
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