• This is the cost incurred by the company in replacing some stolen crash barriers
• The contractors say they suspect unscrupulous scrap dealers to be behind the theft
Contractors working on the Pokuase Interchange, Zhongmei Engineering Group Limited, say they believe a recent theft activity of crash barriers carried out on portions of the interchange was perpetrated by some unscrupulous scrap dealers.
It has been recently reported that some crash barriers meant to protect cars from veering off the road and falling off the interchange had been removed and taken away by unidentified persons.
Confirming the incident to GhanaWeb in an interview on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, the External Operations Manager Zhongmei Engineering Group Ltd, Desmond Yaw Hodanu Bedi said the theft was detected some three weeks ago.
However, Mr Hodenu disclosed that as part of their contractual mandate, their company has gone ahead to replace the stolen railings.
“We have reinstalled them and we have welded all the bolts and nuts behind them to avoid any further stealing,” he said.
On the cost the company has incurred from the incident, the External Operations Manager said devoid of labour cost among other things, about $3500 was spent in replacing the railings.
“This is running into around $3,500 in all without labour, freight and other things. It has affected us so much,” he said
Asked if there are any suspects to the theft, Mr Hodanu stated that their operations have over the years suffered from activities of unscrupulous scrap dealers who tend to steal their metallic resources.
“I worked on the project for the past three years and I can tell you one thing, virtually they’ve taken out for the scrap dealers. There’s been a lot of theft on our project which has to do with scrap dealers.
“This is what I can tell you from working for the past three years. All the things that had to do with missing metals were connected to scrap dealers. It is either workers taking them to the scrap dealer or the scrap dealers coming to take it themselves. So, I won’t be surprised if a scrap dealer is found removing this in the night or during the day."
He disclosed that the incident of the stolen railings has been reported to the Pokuase Police whiles the divisional command has also taken an interest in the investigations.
The four-tier Pokuase Interchange was commissioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo about three months ago following the near completion of the project.
Despite the beauty of the project, there have been concerns about the activities of some citizens which threaten the survival and maintenance of the edifice.
One of such incidents happened about a month ago when some people were arrested for setting up a roadside restaurant on portions of the interchange.
