Roads in the Ashaiman municipality are yet to see any signs of facelift, four months after residents demonstrated to call on the government to fix their roads.
Residents, clad in red, embarked on a demonstration dubbed “Fix Our Roads” on October 3, 2023, during which they blocked the roads and burnt vehicle tyres to back their demand.
Residents, however, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that roads connecting communities in the municipality to other areas remained deplorable, dusty, and full of potholes.
The areas include Tarboline, Valco-Flats, Newtown Junction, and Ashaiman Main Road, which links the municipality to Tema West and other districts.
Some drivers said the roads had become a source of daily misery for them due to the deep potholes and uneven surface, which they noted were damaging to their vehicles.
Mr. Mubarik Gariba, a driver, told the GNA that the number of times he needed to service his vehicle had increased due to the poor condition of the road.
He said his passengers complained about the discomfort they experienced any time he plied the roads to the lorry stations.
He said even though some people voluntarily filled some of the potholes with sand, that could not be the solution, and therefore called on authorities to reconstruct the roads for easy movement of people and goods.
Mr. William Danku, a shopkeeper along one of the affected roads, expressed worry over the persistent dust emanating from the road whenever vehicles passed, indicating that it was affecting his business negatively.
He said despite several demonstrations they carried out in the past to back their demands for the roads to be fixed, they were yet to see improvement as they remained in the same deplorable state.
Madam Sumaya Dauda, a resident, also complained about the difficulties in commuting from the Ashaiman municipality to others, saying that the combination of dust and numerous potholes compounded their daily socio-economic struggles.
She therefore pleaded with the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) and the government to intervene and address the deteriorating road conditions as soon as possible.
GNA
LS/GRB
6 Feb 2024
Caption: TM012 Road Deplorable Pic 1
TM012 Road Deplorable Pic 2
