Sanitation Court to be established in Kumasi From: Ghana/Nhyira FM/Kofi Asante Ennin

 

Residents of Kumasi who litter the environment especially the central business area could face prosecution as city authorities set up sanitation courts to deal with the canker.

The move is part of measures to address the perennially poor sanitation challenges confronting the city.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, who discloses this in an exclusive interview with Nhyira FM’s Kofi Asante believes the move will help minimize the perennial canker.

Sanitation in Kumasi, like other cities in Ghana, is perhaps the biggest problem city authorities have had to contend with.

Choked drains, blocked waterways as well as the inadequacy or in some cases non-existent storm water drainage in most settlements in the city, are major causes of flooding in the city.

The situation which is growing from bad to worse especially in the Kumasi metropolis has claimed many lives in recent times.

However, Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, says he will adopt what he describes as a ‘radical approach’, to address the issue.

One such method is to get selected traditional courts to try people who litter the environment.

Mr. Opoku says a Regional Sanitation Task Force will be set up next month to arrest offenders.

He says transport unions will be required under the arrangement to take direct responsibility for cleaning their terminals daily after work, or risk losing their operational license.

Prez Mahama to cut sod for construction of Military Hospital in Kumasi From: Ghana/Luv Fm/Kofi Asante Ennin

Work will soon start on the construction of Ghana’s second military hospital in Kumasi.

Though no date has been set, officials say arrangements have been completed for the sod-cutting to be performed by President Mahama.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Nhyira FM’s Kofi Asante.

He says the project will be funded by governments of Ghana and China, and construction will take four years to complete.

Mr. Opoku emphasized “this was captured in the president’s State of the Nation Address and was repeated in the budget indicating our readiness to execute the project for the people in the region and as a Regional Minister representing the president, it is my duty to ensure that we acquire land and other necessary preparations for the project to take off……. and indeed we are almost completed with the ground works and very soon the President will hit Kumasi with the ground breaking ceremony that will kick start the project.”

The proposed one thousand-bed capacity facility will augment services provided by the overstretched Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

Chief accuses gov’t of breaching constitution

 

 The Paramount Chief of Tepa Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region is calling for equity in the sharing of the national cake.

Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem says successive governments breached the Constitution by failing to ensure fair distribution of development projects.

The situation, according to him, has left many Ghanaians deprived of basic social amenities.

This he believes if not addressed could cause much antagonism between government and the citizenry.

Nana Ampem says development of the country over the years have been centered mainly in the cities, resulting in increased rural-urban migration.

He points out until the trend is revered the fight against urbanization would be fruitless, whilst antagonism between government and the citizenry heightens.

He questions unavailability of basic amenities such as potable water and electricity after 57 years of independence.

Nana Ampem who sounded frustrated bemoaned the continuous neglect of the people of his area over development.

He spoke during a courtesy on him by Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku.
He called on the government to help re-habilitate some streets in Tepa which have been in deplorable state for decades.

Mr. Opoku assured the people of government’s readiness to complete a 60-bed hospital project, initiated under late President Mills’ administration.

He said funding has been secured for the rest of work expected to be completed in two years.