KLAGON MANTSE APPEALS FOR NEW OVERPASS (PAGE 29)

THE Klagon Mantse, Nii Bortey Klan, has appealled to the government to consider the construction of an overpass to link Ashaiman, Klagon and Nungua.
He said the underground cattle bridge which currently serves as the only link road connecting communities such as Lashibi, Sakumono and Nungua had deteriorated as it had not witnessed any major repair works since it was constructed in 1965 when the Tema-Accra Motorway was built.
“The recent heavy downpour has also rendered the road unmotorable and any time it rained, drivers plying the Ashaiman-Nungua route are compelled to unload commuters under the bridge to enable them to cross the motorway to the Adjei-Kojo end to continue their journey”.
This situation, according to Nii Klan, had led to the loss of lives across the stretch as some commuters were usually knocked down by speeding vehicles.
Nii Klan expressed the worry during a friendly match played between residents of Klagon and Adjei-Kojo as part of activities to climax this year’s Homowo celebrations of the people of Nungua.
The friendly match, which was played between the two communities to foster peaceful co-existence, paraded local football stars including Hearts of Oak striker Bernard Don-Bortey, who scored for Klagon, and 2008 MTN soccer academy runner-up Michael Gator, for Adjei-Kojo, also equalised for his side five minutes to the end of the match.
Nii Klan also used the occasion to appeal to the police service to consider the construction of a police post in the community as residents often had to either travel to Ashaiman or Nungua to lodge complaints with the police and expressed his willingness to donate land to house the station and quarters for officers.
This move, according to the traditional leader, would help the police to clamp down on the activities of pickpockets and other social miscreants who often hide under the bridge to terrorise commuters.
He also called on the Tema Development Corporation to consider regularising permits for residents who had acquired property in the community to generate revenue from the payment of ground rents for infrastructure development.