The angry residents on Saturday morning took to the streets to pour out their displeasure about the decision.

The residents burnt lorry tires amidst chanting in protest of the decision to use the land for an interim bus terminal.

According to the aggrieved residents, the siting of the terminal in the midst of a cluster of schools will affect academic activities and endanger the lives of both teachers and students.

One of the residents who spoke to Citi News said “We are demonstrating for the interest of the community and not individual interests. This is a community school that we have with other clusters of schools surrounding this area and you want to turn this place into a bus terminal. Imagine you have a child here and they want to turn the place into a bus terminal so that the drivers will be shouting Boli, Tamale, and Walewale, how can these children have the concentration to learn?”

Another demonstrator said “I met with the Ashanti Regional Peace Council here and told them everything concerning the park and they understood me. We are waiting to see what will happen here.”

The proposed interim terminal, according to the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly (AMMA), is to aid the relocation of drivers from the Tamale station at Alabar.

An opinion leader in the area, Alhaji Baba Alhassan, says other alternatives must be considered since the residents are adamant in their opposition to the terminal.

“You see, those mates, they are hypocrites. They have been fighting among themselves and killing each other. So why do they want to bring them here? They cannot bring them here. If they bring them here, it is going to be a very big problem for us. So we will not understand and we will never understand why they want to bring them here”.

All demarcation sketches posted at the site, have been destroyed by the residents.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Asawase residents protest siting of bus terminal on school land appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Some officials of STC had visited the Asafo Market terminal to launch the Corporation’s new terminal, but the unexpected happened when some officials of VIP denied the officials access to the venue.

Reports indicate that, managers of the VIP buses had also blocked the main entrance to Asafo Market, bringing commercial activities to a halt.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Deputy Managing Director for STC, Sintim Aboagye, said: “We are here at the Asafo market terminal in our bid to re-brand, recapture and re-position our  brand. One of our strategic positions is to bring transport to the doorstep of the private users and we thought it wise to secure a spot at Asafo VIP near VIP station so in our attempt to launch the station this morning, we came here and realized VIP had virtually blocked us with about three of their buses, denying us access to the place that we legally acquired to carry out operations.”

He wondered why VIP carried out such a move when they had met all legal requirements to undertake their activities there.

“The place does not belong to STC. The place belongs to the Kokofu branch of GPRTU. They had a 25-year  permit and they have exhausted only one year, so they have about 24 years outstanding. We have entered into the tenancy agreement with them and we have acquired the necessary legal documentation from KMA to protect us and everything that has to be done to allow us to start our operations has been done.”Mr. Aboagye believes that the VIP operators are only resisting because they are scared of competition.

“They see us a competition that will give them a run for their money so they want to stop us.”

STC, the once vibrant state transport company which nearly collapsed, is up on its feet again in a massive re-branding offering better services.

STC failed to consult other GPRTU branches 

But the Director of Finance for VIP, Prof. Lukmond Owusu Ansah, explained that his outfit staged the protest to oppose some GPRTU officials’ decision to give out part of its land to STC without the consent of other branches of GPRTU.

“This issue came up and there was a little bit of violence here and we told them and the matter was taken to Manhyia …They were told that the whole place was acquired by GPRTU and it was demarcated for the various branches… We have about 21 branches there and it is the property of GPRTU … One or two executives cannot sell the property of GPRTU to STC.

“It is the whole 21 union members who are just contesting that it is constitutionally wrong…We are only saying that STC cannot occupy GPRTU’S land. It is not a property of Kokofu Union. It is a property of GPRTU as a whole” he insisted.

He also denied suggestions that they VIP transport operators, are only resisting STC because they are scared of competition.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post VIP blocks STC from loading buses at Asafo market  appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He also says this posture also brings reproach to Ghana as a corporate entity.

According to the legislator, the two institutions issue out mining licenses to investors without considering the true situation on the ground.

This practice according to him, makes it impossible for local miners to detect which specific areas have been given to investors; a situation which is breeding confusion between two investors in his area.

“Minerals Commission officials do not go to the site to go and look out who actually owns that site. As I speak to you, one concession has been sold to two investors. Instead of them going down to the ground to verify for themselves actually what is happening over there they do not do so, they sit at the comfort of their offices  and issue out licenses,” he explained

In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Blay said the inability of the two institutions to demarcate areas for mining has resulted in miners mining sacred places and forest reserves.

He cited instances where some sacred places and shrines within his constituency have been taken over by miners, resulting in the relocation of some gods.

“It looks as if we are mining all sacred areas, the gods we are relocating them, if you come to my area, Assou Kofi has been relocated, cemeteries are being mined, if you go to other areas forest reserves are being mined, so we need to get a no go area,” he suggested.

The MP also indicated that the same attitude by the regulating bodies has prompted illegal miners known as ‘galamsay’ operators to continue with their harmful act giving ‘no respect’ to the type and place of their mine.

By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EPA, Minerals Commission causing confusion in mining areas – MP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.