The passengers, who told Citi News they had been waiting for the ferry to dock since morning, said it was rather seen cruising on the River fully loaded with merry makers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qoozhRHGv2V8NhBVUJduZmc4djFBQudw”]The funfair which lasted for the entire day, saw frustrated passengers watch the pontoon in despair.

“I got here at 1:00 am and I have been here since. When I came I saw the ferry on the water, I thought it has taken passengers and was going to the other bank. Little did I know that they have gone to make merry. As I speak now , I don’t know when they would get here even though I can see them far away in the River” a commuter narrated.

It is unclear what may have informed operators of the ferry to engage in such an activity at the expense of the impatient travelers, but some residents said they were hired by the Member of Parliament and District Chief Executive for the area.

When contacted, the MP of Krachie East, Michael Dzato, denied the claims, explaining he and the Chief Executive were out of town when the said incident occurred.

The Oti River, which is an extension of the Volta River, is the major access route from the other parts of the Volta Region to the extreme north of the region, and to a large extent the northern part of the country.

The area, which is a food hub for the country, produces yam and other tuber crops, which are often transported down south.

Attempts by Citi News attempts to reach the captains on the ferry have not been successful.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Pontoon abandons passengers to cruise with merry makers on Oti River appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The youth of Afram Plains had earlier rejected the relocation, and had vowed to do everything possible to stop government from doing so.

Speaking in a Citi News interview, a Deputy Minister of Transport, Daniel Titus-Glover, explained that, the ferry relocation was really necessary to reduce the traffic congestion that had mounted, following the closure of the two bridges at Buipe and Yapei.

[contextly_sidebar id=”e9AXDUtfngWsyqrlYp23ysBSR3Fql3KM”]“There is huge traffic congestion on the Yeji to Makango section, it is so discomforting for drivers and passengers on that stretch going to the north and coming down south. When you look at the traffic on the Afram Plains Agordeke-Kpando road, it’s quite less compared to what we are facing currently on the Yeji-Makango road. So initially the youth of Afram Plains were not happy about it.”

“Last night, the MCE did inform me that he has been able to speak to the youth to agree, after telling them that this is a national issue and we need their support in order to resolve this challenge. I’ve also spoken to the DCE who is at the banks of the River, making sure that the ferry will leave Agordeke, then we will have another one to come and stand in for that same route,” Titus Glover added.

He further appealed to the youth of Afram Plains to bear with them, saying “this is a national call and it can be their turn one day. The relocation will be done.”

The Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) closed down the Buipe and Yapei bridges last week for maintenance work to be carried on them.

The bridges have been in dilapidated conditions for some time now, thus posing a threat to motorists and pedestrians.

Youth resist relocation

Residents of Afraim Plains earlier complained that the ferry was their only means of transportation through the Agordeke-Kpando-Torkor route, hence relocating it will affect them.

The Member of Parliament for Afraim Plains, Betty Krosbi Mensah, had also urged government to reconsider the decision.

“The decision to take the ferry to Yeji was not something we were consulted about, we were not informed. We got it through grapevine that the Volta Lake transport was making arrangements to relocate our ferry to Yeji. The youth of the district went to the river boundary to prevent the movement from being done.”

“Subsequently, I did a follow up by calling on the Minister of Transport to inquire if he had given that directive, but the Minister said he wasn’t aware that such directive had been given, and that he was going to do a follow up and get back to me. Subsequently, the Minister called and said he had been briefed by his chief director, and that there was the need to send the ferry from Afram Plains to Yeji. Indeed I told him that it was something that we the people of Afram Plains are going to do everything humanly and legally possible to resist,” the MP added.

Parliament summons Roads Minister over closure of Buipe, Yapei bridges

Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako Atta, who was summoned to Parliament over the closure, said the temporary measure was necessary for routine maintenance ahead of the Christmas season.

He estimated that the rehabilitation works would last for four weeks, and proposed that motorists should use the Eastern Corridor, Fufulso-Sawla and Central routes as alternatives.

The rehabilitation alone is to cost the state some Ghc4 million.

Since the closure, motorists from the Sahel and Northern and Upper East Regions have been stranded at the bridges site due to the long hours they have to spend waiting to cross.

Passengers in long vehicles are compelled to get down and walk across the bridge to continue the journey in standby buses at the other end.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Daboya bridge along that of Buipe and Yapei, will begin in 2018. Each of the three new bridges is estimated at 25 million US dollars.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Philip Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Afram Plains ferry relocated to Yeji-Buipe appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.