Minister of Railway Development, John Peter Amewu, has claimed that about 250 bolts and nuts used to fit tracks on the Tema-Mpakadan railway track have been stolen by unknown persons.
All the fittings got missing around the Tema Harbour to Afienya stretch of the rails being laid, as it appears a syndicate of rail track robbers are targeting Ghana’s rail system.
Last year, a group of five were arrested for stealing components of rail tracks in the Eastern Region worth millions of Ghana cedis.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Amewu warned that the law will deal with anyone caught stealing such expensive components.
“Let me sound this warning to Ghanaians living along railway properties and the general public as a whole that this behaviour of stealing properties and equipment for projects is shameful and untoward. It should stop now because look at the kind of work we have done on this line all the way from Tema to Mpakadan and the money involved,” Amewu stated.
“People have started removing the bolts and nuts, even though it is not widespread like that of the Western line. But we have realised that at the Tema Port area where about 250 of them have been removed by these thieves though the project is ongoing”, he explained.
According to reports, the engineers at Afcons Limited, the project contractor, have decided to install an anti-theft mechanism to prevent further thefts.
Later Amewu would join them to plant one hundred trees around the rail lines at Afienya and Doryumu stretch.
John Peter Amewu said the project is 90% complete and expressed satisfaction with progress made so far even though the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down the progress.
The 97 km Tema to Mpakadan Railway project is part of the Ghana Burkina Faso railway interconnectivity project, partly funded by the government of Ghana and the Export and Import Bank of India.