By Alfred Adams
A Senior Citizen in Sekondi-Takoradi, Mr. Francis Kobina Eghan, has faulted the administration of John Mahama for what he termed as its poor handling of the rehabilitation of the Ghana Railway Company (GRC) rail lines.
Mr. Eghan, alias ‘Abaatan’, cited the President’s decision on the on-going rehabilitation as an exercise which would not be economically viable to aid the dwindling fortunes of the ailing and cash-strapped company.
Abaatan bluntly put it that the rehabilitation of the Sekondi-Takoradi rail line would contribute no pesewa to the already dwindling fortunes of the company. According to septuagenarian, the president decision could best be termed as putting a square peg in a round hole.
Abaatan questioned: “Which reasonable person from Sekondi will want to join a train to Takoradi when there are vehicles available. This is not rehabilitation, but a poor decision, and a poor show.”
To him, the railway workers deserved better, and not the poor handling of the company in the disguise of rehabilitating the rail lines.
Speaking at a Committee for Joint Action (CJA) programme held last Friday, Abaatan, who is a retired worker of the GRC, however, pointed out that the President should have rather channelled the resources into rehabilitating the Takoradi-Awaso rail line, where the bulk of the company’s revenue was gained.
Abaatan, who worked with the GRC as a Revenue Accountant, said 85% of the company’s revenue was from the haulage of minerals through the Awaso line, some of which are bauxite and manganese.
Mr. Eghan maintained that he had had discussions with the railway workers, and they were prepared to begin the rehabilitation of the Awaso line, only if the President would procure the materials needed.
Septuagenarian Francis Eghan, therefore, challenged the President, to, as a matter of urgency, procure the materials needed for the rehabilitation of the Awaso line for the workers.
On his part, a member of the CJA, Mr. Kwesi Pratt, lamented the speed at which State Owned Enterprises (SOE’s) and state properties had been sold out by governments. To him, the speed at which various governments had disposed off state properties and enterprises could be termed as acts of punishment for generations yet unborn.
This was because, sometimes the cost associated with the sale of the properties in question was beyond comprehension, and could be equated to corruption.
Kwesi Pratt, who was speaking at the CJA programme as Guest Speaker, pointed out that most of the sale of SOEs and state properties were done under the cover of darkness, in order to avoid accountability.
Considering the mineral resources at the disposal of our country, Kwesi Pratt maintained that it was regrettable and unpardonable that it was still reeling under unemployment for its citizenry.