Accra, June 9, GNA - Dr Richard Anane, Road Transport Minister, on Friday told Parliament that the Metro Mass Transit Company (MMT) expects to consolidate its operations in the rural areas with the acquisition of suitable buses in due course.

He said rural-urban services would be developed on viable routes in the Gomoa West constituency and other vibrant areas. Dr Anane was responding to a question on why major towns such as Gomoa Dago, Apam and Dawuranpong in the Gomoa West constituency had not been included in the MMT's services.

The Minster said in July 2005, the MMT carried out a route survey and pilot runs from Swedru through various towns such as Dawuranpong to Mumford in the Central Region covering a total distance of 117 kilometres per return trip.

"Even though the commuters were highly enthusiastic about the trial run, patronage was encouraging only on market days at Dawuranpong and its environs," he explained.

In response to another question, the Minister said the rehabilitation programme for the Keta town roads in the Volta Region was "put on hold until the Keta Sea Defence Project was completed because of the fear that they might be destroyed by the heavy trucks used by the contractor."

He said after the completion of the defence wall, 8.3 kilometres of tarred road was constructed from Keta through a new settlement to Havedzi.

"Other access roads totalling 3.8 kilometres were also tarred, which forms part of the Keta Township. The tarring of selected roads in the Township would be considered in the 2007 programme under Ghana Government funding," the Minster said.

Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Deputy Minority Leader, asked the Minister when construction work would begin on the Akatsi-Tadzewu-Dzodze-Akanu road in the Volta Region since the loan for the project had already been approved by Parliament for some years now.

Dr Anane said a loan agreement was signed with the African Development Bank (ADB) for the upgrading of the road to "asphaltic concrete standards up to Noepe in the Republic of Togo on July 18, 2003. "The project was declared effective by the African Development Bank on July 23, 2003," Dr Anane said.

He said under the agreement with the bank, the Government of Ghana was to meet certain requirement and make some payments, which had been carried out.

He said ADB gave its final approval and a contract was subsequently signed in May 2006 for work to begin. "Design, review and tendering will commence on June 15, 2006, and will take six months to complete. Actual construction works is expected to commence in December, 2006 and completed by December, 2008," Dr Anane said. 9 June 06