Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Roads and Transport, Isaac Adjei Mensah, has expressed disappointment in Amandi Construction over delays in completing sections of the Western Railway Line project despite substantial government payments.
The committee raised concerns during a two-day inspection tour of ongoing road and rail infrastructure projects in the Western Region.
The lawmakers inspected the Kojokrom–Manso railway line, a 22-kilometre stretch awarded in 2018 and expected to be completed in 2022.
Although the contractor reportedly claims the project is about 93 per cent complete, members of the committee observed that sections of the project site had been abandoned, with visible deterioration of some structures.
Mr. Adjei Mensah said the committee had directed the consultant supervising the project to provide a detailed report covering the total project cost, government payments made so far, outstanding financial commitments, physical progress of work, and timelines for completion.
“We are disappointed that they have vacated the site and the extent of deterioration in some of the structures,” he stated.
According to him, Amandi Construction is simultaneously handling three rail projects in the area but appears unable to complete the Kojokrom–Manso stretch despite government financial commitments.
“What is happening is that for the three projects, Amandi took all of them and they have just started phases of them, and the excuse is that the government is not paying them,” he said.
The chairman questioned why the contractor had moved on to other projects before completing the existing one.
“I don’t see why they are not able to finish the Kojokrom–Manso line before attending to the others, especially when the government has made substantial payments,” he added.
Mr. Adjei Mensah further noted that if the rail line had been completed, members of the committee could have travelled by train instead of using the road network for their inspection tour.
Vice Chairman of the committee and MP for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Andrew Dari Chiwitey, also criticised the pace of work and suggested the contractor may be deliberately delaying projects while pursuing additional contracts.
“We don’t doubt the capacity of Amandi. Amandi is a big company,” he said.
“But what is going on, I am tempted to think that currently they are using delay tactics just to keep the government and the public waiting while they secure more projects.”
He argued that the contractor repeatedly starts projects without completing them before moving on to new ones.
The Vice Chairman also questioned the siting of railway stations in isolated locations away from communities.
“You don’t site stations in the bush. How do you expect community members to access them?” he asked.
He warned that poor accessibility could negatively affect patronage and undermine the purpose of the railway service.
The committee says it expects the consultant’s report to guide further parliamentary action on the delayed projects.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com