Attempts by Central Regional Police command to prevent a group of taxi drivers from demonstrating on Monday, proved futile, leading to lots of injuries.
The taxi drivers who are from the Home Town of former President John Evans Atta Mills; Ekumfi Essuehyia and Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region, were said to have mounted a road block in protest of the deteriorating condition of the road.
According to Fiifi Koomson, our Central Regional correspondent, the police after hearing of the road block decided to storm the area and avoid any confusion. However, this did not go down well with the taxi drivers as they started throwing stones at the police officers.
The police officers in response, started firing rubber bullets to disperse the group; leading to over 50 getting injured.
Irate residents are also accusing the contractor responsible for the road, Mr Hammond Larbie, of delaying the project which was awarded to him in 2011.
However, in a quick rebuttal on Peace FM, Mr Hammond said the construction is still ongoing. He said even though funds from government is not forth coming, he is still going on with the construction; sometimes, at his own detriment.
He accused George Kuntu Blankson, former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of hindering the progress of the construction and instigating the taxi drivers to protest.
According to him, Kuntu Blankson has been against him simply because “his opponent who won the elections (2012 parliamentary election) is my friend”.
“Despite all these setbacks, work is still in progress and very soon it will be completed” he added.
Meanwhile, those who were injured and taken to the Otuam Clinic and Saltpond Government Hospital are responding to treatment.
Source: GhanaWeb
