News
Kpone drivers, police clash …over bad road,3 drivers injured
Three drivers got injured when the police fired rubber bullet gunshots at them, to disperse a crowd, during a scuffle with the law enforcement personnel at Kpone, in the Eastern Region.
This followed a sit-down strike by members of the Kpone branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The action of the drivers, numbering about 100, resulted in hundreds of passengers, who travel from the Kpone township to Tema, Manhean, Kpone Barrier, Shanghai among others, stranded.
However, other drivers forced passengers to alight from vehicles of colleagues, who flouted the directive of the Kpone branch of the GPRTU.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, the trustee to the Interim Management Committee of the Kpone Drivers Union, Seth Nyarko, said the strike was to protest against the bad nature of roads in the area.
He said the roads from Tema Community 1 through to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) road, Aluworks, Fuel Trade, Chase Petroleum to Kpone were in a terrible state.
He said drivers or vehicle owners spent a substantial amount of money to maintain their vehicles, and efforts to get the city authorities to fix the roads proved futile.
Mr Nyarko explained that the action was not a demonstration and was confined to the Kpone lorry station, and with placards which read, ‘Fix our roads’.
He said while the drivers were positioning the placards at vantage points, other people who were not members of the union joined the action.
Mr Nyarko said this led to a misunderstanding between the drivers and the police, and the security personnel fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, and in the process three persons sustained injuries.
He said all three persons had been treated and discharged.
Mr Nyarko said a meeting had been scheduled between the drivers and the Kpone Municipal Assembly to be facilitated by the Kpone District Police Command to find an amicable solution to the problem.
However, calm had been restored and the vehicles are back on road.
The Crime Officer for the Kpone District Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Herbert Sosu, condemned the strike by the drivers, describing it as illegal because the police were was not notified, and it infringed on the rights of other road users.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH, KPONE
The 24 Hour Economy Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hunan Architectural Design Institute Group to support the planning of the Volta Economic Corridor.
The agreement aims to guide how land within the corridor will be used, design key infrastructure, and develop systems that will support large scale production.
The partnership will focus on detailed planning to make the area ready for investment and smooth business operations.
The project will include the development of agroecological parks, industrial zones, and transport networks to connect production centres to markets.
According to the Authority, proper planning is critical to building strong economic systems and expanding production across the corridor.
It noted that the collaboration with the Chinese design firm will help lay a solid foundation for industrial growth and long term development within the Volta Economic Corridor.
By: Jacob Aggrey
President of the Ghana Bar Association, Efua Ghartey, has called on judges and lawyers to carry out their duties with humility, fairness, and a strong sense of responsibility.
She made the appeal during the Supreme Court at 150 celebration held at the University of Ghana, under the theme “Honouring the past, celebrating the present and defining the future.”
Addressing participants, she noted that those in the legal profession occupy positions of great power and influence, and must therefore remain humble in the discharge of their duties.
She urged both the bench and the bar to deliver justice without fear or ill will, stressing the need for fairness in handling cases.
Reflecting on the significance of the celebration, she explained that the year 1876 marks not only the establishment of the Supreme Court but also the beginning of formally trained lawyers in the Gold Coast.
The GBA President questioned what Ghana would be without the rule of law, which is upheld by judges and lawyers, adding that the country could descend into a system where only the strongest survive if justice is not properly administered.
She further encouraged legal practitioners to reflect on their responsibilities and remain committed to upholding the rule of law for the benefit of all citizens.
By: Jacob Aggrey
