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Bushfires destroy 158 wooden high tension poles in UWR
● Burnt high tension poles
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Upper West Region is worried about the continuous burning of high-tension wooden electricity poles in the region due to accidental bushfires.
In the 2021/2022 Dry (Harmattan) season, the GNFS in the region recorded 158 fire incidents involving high-tension poles but personnel were able to salvage 96 of them from getting burnt.
The harmattan season under review normally begins from mid-November to mid-February.
The Regional Staff Officer of the Service, DOIII Alexis Kodi Suonyiri who made this known in a speech at the first session of the 12th parliament of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament described the situation as worrying and called for attitudinal change in that regard.
He said that the poles were burnt when people indiscriminately set fire to the bushes around them, particularly those along highways.
He could not understand why people continued to set fire to the bush when they were fully aware of the consequences it posed to society and said that the GNFS recorded 32 of such incidents in the year under review.
He stated that the command was putting measures in place to ensure that bush fire would be a thing of the past and stated that aside stepping up education on the need to avoid bush fires, the GNFS had again established bush fire volunteers in many communities across the region to augment the effort of the service in helping to reduce the indiscriminate setting of bush fires to the barest minimum.
DOIII Suonyiri said aside the devastating effect of bush fire to climate change, it also denied the soil of its fertility and affected the livelihood of persons who lost their farms to bushfires which were not even started by them.
He lamented the poor enforcement of the bushfire laws in the region as well as the failure of the Municipal and District Assemblies across the region to constitute bush fire control sub-committees to support the work of the GNFS in checking the menace.
The Staff Officer recommended the clearing of bushes around high-tension poles in the dry season through communal labour to ensure that even if there was bush fire, the poles did not catch fire.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
