Ntim Twumasi Kwaku, a prominent New Patriotic Party (NPP) member in the Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, has criticized the development of interchanges in the Kumasi city.
According to him, funds allocated for the projects should be used to dualize important roads leading to the capital in order to reduce traffic congestion for both vehicles and people as well as to prevent accidents.
The NPP financier is advising regional opinion leaders to choose something important over interchanges on Garden City radio in Kumasi.
‘Fight for community and feeder roads, not interchanges. Why fight for interchanges when your community and feeder roads are in a deplorable state? Ask for a tarred road to all our farming communities so that food and other supplies will be readily available in our markets.
‘Consumable foods are perishing on farms due to bad and deplorable access roads. Farmers are impoverished cos 70% of their farm products perished on the farms. The amount spent on a single 3 or 4-tier interchange can complete almost all the roads in Manso, kwabre, Ejisu, Bosomtwe, Effiduase, Kumawu, Juaben etc.’ he stated.
Mr. Ntim Kwaku Twumasi therefore highlighted the need for the NPP government to develop rural areas in the country instead of dwelling much on the cities.
‘With good roads, these small communities will open up for development, factories and other small businesses. It will help minimize rural-urban migration. Teachers, nurses/midwives, will not object when posted to these areas,’ he pointed out
Adding: ‘Kumasi does not need more than 1 or 2 interchanges for now. Let’s focus our energies on our community and feeder roads to attract investors to our towns and villages. Don’t even ask for asphalt, let’s go for the good old 2 or 3 layer gravelling(sapetee), the asphalt overlay can be done later when the roads begin to incur heavy traffic.’