Mereponso (E/R), June 30, GNA - The Mereponso-Ati community, near Asuom in the Kwaebibirem District, has been cut-off from the rest of the district, following the collapse of the bridge over river Merepon. The people have, therefore, appealed to the government to repair the bridge "as a matter of urgency" to help restore social and economic activities, which had come to a standstill in the area.

Conducting the Ghana News Agency round the ruins of the bridge on Tuesday, the Odikro of the community, Nana Barfour Adubeng, said it was constructed in 1975 and that the community had been using communal labour to rehabilitate it ever since until it completely collapsed about two weeks ago.

He said bags of cocoa beans, foodstuff and oil palm fruits were locked up in the area as a result of the collapse of the bridge. He called on the Assembly to liaise with the agencies concerned for an early rehabilitation of the bridge to help avert any disaster and to restore normal life to the community. Meanwhile, Mr Yaw Sarpong, a Supervisor of the President's Special Initiative on Palm Oil at Okyinso, near Mereponso, said the collapse of the bridge was adversely affecting progress of the project. 30 June 2004