KUMASI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY CLEANS RIDGE PARK (PAGE 29)

The Environmental Department of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has started clearing the overgrown weeds around the Ridge Traffic Lights and the Golden Tulip Kumasi City Hotel in the Kumasi Metropolis.
The area which also extends to the Faults Section of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and environmental park is a den for criminals, drug peddlers and Indian hemp smokers.
It has also been the habitat of poisonous snakes which put the lives of pedestrians in danger and a breeding place for mosquitoes.
Prior to the clearing of the weeds that were gradually blossoming into a semi-deciduous forest in the heart of Kumasi, residents who used the stretch at odd hours, either on foot or alone in their vehicles, were always at the mercy of criminals.
This was because the criminals pounced on them when they least expected, depriving them of their cash and other valuables.
Using the canopies created by the shrubs and trees as their hideouts, the criminals attacked their victims with guns or knives and forcibly took away items such as mobile phones, wristwatches, necklaces and vital documents from the victims. Sometimes they ganged-raped the females, traumatising them.
The continuous attack on residents, especially at dusk, night and dawn, became a public concern, which compelled the Daily Graphic to regularly draw the attention of the Environmental Department of the KMA to the insecurity their inaction was causing some residents in the metropolis.
The police who were handicapped in providing adequate security at the area also expressed concern about the failure of the KMA to clear the weeds on regular basis.
In one instance, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwaku Ayensu Opare-Addo urged the Environmental Department of the KMA to be alive to its responsibilities by clearing the weeds regularly to enhance adequate security in the area.
Using the Daily Graphic as a platform, the Regional Police Commander said the criminals had always used the area as a launching pad to attack innocent residents, and therefore, stressed the need for the KMA to devise means that would create sanity at the area and reduce the security threat that it posed to the public.
All these events took place last year, but either by accident or design the Environmental Department of the KMA has now started clearing the stretch, creating a serene atmosphere and bringing the city to its status of “Garden City”.
At the moment, the park looks more like a recreational ground and the clearing of the weeds has also helped to flush out people with questionable character who used to hide within the stretch and attack innocent residents.
The Head of the Environmental Department of the KMA, Mr J.Y. Donkor, told the Daily Graphic that they were unable to weed the stretch regularly because of inadequate personnel and logistics.
He conceded that the bushy area posed a serious threat to the public and gave the assurance that the they would clear the area regularly.
“The issue bordered on personnel who were mandated to clear the weeds regularly. Some of them retired and the reduction in number greatly affected our operations, making it difficult for us to clear the weeds as required, ” he explained.
Mr Donkor said they had now beefed up the number of personnel and zoned it, indicating that “some people have now been assigned the duty of clearing the area regularly so commuters and pedestrians will be safe to use the stretch.”