Structures that are causing landslide along the Peduase-Ayi Mensah road are to be demolished, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, Minister of Roads and Highways has said said.
He expressed worry that developers had put up buildings on top of the Akuapim Ridge in the Eastern Region, which had contributed immensely to the weakening of the landscape.
This, the minister said, had resulted in the falling of rocks unto one part of the Peduase-Ayi Mensah road anytime there was a down pour, posing serious danger to motorists and pedestrians.
According to the Roads Minister, these illegal activities would no longer go unpunished and decisive actions would be taken to serve as deterrent to others.
Mr Amoako-Atta said this when he visited the site with senior officials of his ministry to ascertain the level of destruction and to take a decision to address the situation.
A section of the Peduase-Ayi Mensah road was on October 18 closed to traffic due to falling rocks on one portion of the road, making it unsafe for motorists and pedestrians.
A statement issued by the Ghana Highways Authority said the slopes of the hill had been assessed to have the potential for further rock falls and warned motorists to follow the new road signs along the route to ensure their safety.
The minister after assessing the situation indicated that the ministry would work closely with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Akuapim Municipal Assembly to put an end to this disturbing issue.
According to him, the numerous human activities had left deep cracks within the rocks, which are sedimentary, making water to sip through anytime it rained, adding that, “this is a dangerous national issue that must be dealt with technically.”
Mr Amoako-Atta said a fact-finding committee would be set up to investigate the circumstances under which building permits were issued to the developers and anyone found culpable would be severely dealt with.
He warned the works department of the assembly not to issue building permit to any developer, stressing that “any recalcitrant developer who defies the law will have his or her property demolished.”
Mr Amoako-Atta said the debris would be cleared within one week, and a technical team would be constituted to assess the situation before opening the road to traffic, adding that the ministry would not rush into taking any decision that would further endanger the lives of the people.
In a related development the minister and his team inspected sections of the motorway that got flooded and directed the GHA to desilt the major drain behind the Coca Cola Bottling factory that got chocked, resulting in the flood on Monday evening.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU