Kpandai (N/R) April 21, GNA- The chiefs and people of Kpandai in the East Gonja District of the Northern Region have urged the government to rehabilitate roads in the area to facilitate the transportation of farm produce to marketing centres.

They described the Kpandai area as " an agricultural depot" of the Northern Region that needed more feeder roads to ease movement of goods and people to enhance economic activities.

Nana Okore Atorsah II, Chief of Kpandai raised these concerns at a durbar organised in honour of the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Tuesday.

Nana Atorsah mentioned the deplorable conditions of the Kpandai-Salaga, Kpandai-Wulensi, and Kpandai-Buya roads and appealed to the government to rehabilitate them before the rains set in to prevent the area from being cut off from the rest of the country. On health, Nana Atorsah said the only hospital at Nkanchina that served the people has no medical doctor and appealed to the government to post one to man the facility.

Another area of concern was the inadequacy of boreholes to provide potable water for the people to reduce the incidence of the guinea worm. Nana Atorsah urged the government to provide the area with television booster to improve the television reception in the area. He reaffirmed the commitment of the people to continue to respect each other's views and cultures to sustain peace among the various ethnic groups in the area.

Nana Atorsah commenmded the government for providing a modern market and a three unit ten-seater KVIP for the people and the renovation of the police barracks as well as school infrastructure. He appealed for a separate district for the area.

Replying Alhaji Mahama said the government had sought for funding from the French government to rehabilitate the Salaga-Kpandai road and also to construct a bridge over the Dakar River to open up the area. He assured the people that the government was working hard to provide potable water for the people in the guinea-worm endemic communities including Kpandai.

On the creation of a separate district for the area, the Vice President said the creation of districts was an ongoing process and that with time Kpandai would be considered.

He commended the people of Kpandai for sustaining peace in the area and advised them to refrain from acts that could create confusion. Alhaji Mahama later inspected a 635 million cedis modern market financed by the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) and the East Gonja District Assembly.

The Vice President made a whistle stop at Kumdi near Salaga and addressed a similar durbar of chiefs and people of the area. He also inspected a shea-butter processing plant at Kpolo. 21 April 04