Residents in the Kalbeo community in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region have vowed not to participate in the upcoming 2020 election due to successive governments neglect of their plight.
The community has been calling for their dilapidated bridge to be reconstructed to shorten their journey to the Bolgatanga Township, but their plea seem not to be yielding the desired results. In the event of a total collapse, the people of Kalbeo will have to use a longer route to get to Bolgatanga Township.
According to the residents, the bridge is part of their lives because it links them to two major things, ( that’s to their farms and the capital town) and these two things are their major sources of livelihoods.
Statistically, 80 percent of the residents of the community are farmers and are beneficiaries of the Planting for Food and Jobs Policy. Last year, they benefited from the policy, but due to the deteriorated nature of the bridge, majority of them were not able to bring their farm produce home nor to the market and are worried that similar situations will occur as they approach the farming season.
The bridge according to the residents was constructed in 1996 by the then Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga, Simon Anyoa Abingya and since then, it has suffered series of neglects by governments.
Speaking to A1 News, the residents explained that in 2018, the nature of the bridge was so terrible that community members mobilized and carried stones to fill the broken parts of the bridge but after a few rains the bridge is gone beyond repairs and need immediate intervention from government.
They however noted that despite numerous promises by various Members of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, nothing tangible has come out and will therefore not participate in the 2020 general election.
The Assemblyman of the Kalbeo Electoral Area, Matthias Asokiyine admits that the residents have every right to be angry but urged them to be hopeful because the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly has given the assurance to start work on the bridge soon.
Source: a1radioonline.com | Moses Apiah | Ghana