The National Chairman of the Ghana Highway Authority Retired Staff Association (GHARSA), Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II, has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the government makes money available to pay Contractors and Single Man Contractors (SMCs) in the road agencies.
He suggested that either money is found to make part or full payment to help alleviate the plight of the aggrieved Contractors.
The SMCs are engaged by the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) and are responsible for the clearing of weeds along road shoulders throughout the entire country to make the roads clear and visible.
They also desilt culverts and drains to help prevent overflows of running water onto the streets and roads, to prolong the life span of the roads.
However, these contractors have not been paid for work done for a very long time, making life very unbearablefor them and their dependants. The last payment for SMC works, according to the complainants, was done in 2018 and there has not been any further payment for executed jobs.
As a result, they lodged a complaint with the Chairman of the Ghana Highway Authority Retired Staff Association (GHARSA), who has subsequently pleaded with the President to ensure that the contractors are settled.
The single man contractors had also enquired from GHARSA when payment for executed contracts was going to be effected.
The former Regional Surveyor of the GHA noted that such delayed payments affect their family commitments and survival.
Making the appeal through The Chronicle, Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II said the alleged selective payment of some contractors and non-payment of several others have adversely affected the performance of the Road agency and pleaded with the President to take immediate steps to effect payment to those who have geninuely worked and deserve to be paid.
The ex-chief, however, also recommended sanctions for contractors whose job performance are suspect.
The former Nyimfahen of the Fantse Confederation in Ashanti explained that the alleged selective payment and non-payment of others is heart breaking and thus affecting the road agencies, hence the urgency with which the President ought to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance to make funds available in the shortest possible time to pay the contractors.
Meanwhile, Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II, has also called on the President to launch investigations into why the Minister for Road & Highways has since November last year closed down the Kubease Toll Booth on the Kumasi-Konongo stretch, allowing vehicles to and fro on that stretch without any charges at the expense of the state, when the tolls could be mobilised to settle the indebtedness to the contractors who have not been paid over the years.
The National GHARSA Chairman, observed that it is unreasonable to close down that particular Toll Booth and allow all the other ones on the Highways to operate.
“It is time that funds are made available for the reshaping of Toll Booths to justify the collection of the Tolls”, Nana Ninsin-Imbeah suggested.
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