Koforidua, May 19, GNA-The Municipal Chief Executive of New Juaben, Mr. Alex Asamoah, was shocked when residents of the municipality rejected gifts of fire wood gathered from trees felled at the Koforidua Jackson Park to make way for the development of the park.

The people who rejected the offer feared that the witches would attack them when they take the fire wood into their houses.

Residents had been told by various evangelists who had visited the park that the trees there served as meeting places for witches and wizards in the municipality.

After failing to offer the gift, the Municipal Assembly provided a vehicle to cart them to the Koforidua prisons to be used to cook for the prisoners.

Mr. Asamoah had disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) about the assembly's plans to transform the park into a playing ground, a garden, a car park and a taxi rank.

Under the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the park would continue to be the ceremonial grounds for the municipality but would also have a well constructed taxi rank, a public car park, a tennis court, which would also serve as a volley ball court as well as a basket ball pitch.

Mr. Asamoah said to help reduce cost and offer employment for the youth in the municipality, the assembly would use his own staff to do greater part of the project and would only award some parts like the construction of the taxi rank on contract.

He said with the transfer of the beads market to the permanent site near the Centre for National Culture, the renovated park would brighten the Koforidua municipality.