Ho, Jan 9, GNA - About 13 farming communities in the Akatsi District have been cut off from market and health centers around them because a contractor who was to build culverts over River Worwoe has abandoned the project.

The contract includes repair works on a four-kilometre feeder road linking the area and was awarded to M-Gallant Ghana Limited, an Accra based firm, about two-and-half- years ago and was to be completed in six months.

Mr Thomas Ayisu, Assembly Member for Agomor-Agado Electoral Area who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in Ho on Wednesday, painted a gloomy picture of "anguished farmers watching their crops rot and pregnant women ferried on bicycles to hospitals" because of the failure of the contractor to deliver.

Among the 13 communities affected are Nyitawuta, Avenorkpoxe, Kpete, Gavikope and Xevi whose inhabitants now circumvent the bridge to get to the Dzodze market 47 kilometres away instead of Akatsi that is only 19 kilometres away.

Mr Ayisi said the sides of the uncompleted bridge had been left unfilled rendering the road impassable. He said young people, desperate to get to the other side of the road during the raining season, climbed trees and swung from branch to branch to cross to the other side.

Mr Anthony Abledu, Akatsi District Chief Executive, said the abandonment of the project was of grave concern to the assembly and that the assembly had passed a motion to prevail on the contractor to finish the job. A source at the Akatsi District Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) said the Ghc70, 000 contract was awarded under a Project handled by the Ministry. He said the contractor was yet to embank the culvert and repair the road and that all efforts were being made to get him back on the job.