BUI RESETTLEMENT PLAN TO GO AHEAD (BACK PAGE, APIL 15, 2010)

THE Bui Power Authority (BPA) has given the assurance that the second and final phase of the resettlement programme for communities affected by the construction of the Bui hydroelectric power project will go on as scheduled.
Communities currently awaiting resettlement include Bui Village, Bator-Akanyakrom , Dokokyina, Bui Camp and the residence of the Game and Wildlife officers protecting the Bui National Park.
In all, 999 persons are expected to be relocated before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, preparatory work for the construction of 170 housing units has been completed.
The Chief Executive Officer of the BPA, Mr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, who gave the assurance in an interaction at Bui in the Tain District in the Brong Ahafo Region, said his outfit was taking all the necessary steps to ensure a successful resettlement of the four communities before the close of this year as scheduled.
He stated that the BPA intended to carry out the exercise in a well planned manner, adding that the authority was consulting with the affected communities on both their farming cycle and educational calendar to minimise disturbances in the resettlement exercise.
He, therefore, urged the inhabitants of the affected communities to co-operate with the BPA to make their resettlement smooth and peaceful.
The first phase of the resettlement programme resettled 217 people from Brewohodi, Dam Site, Agbegikuro and Lucene to the Jama Resettlement Site in the Bole District of the Northern Region.
Meanwhile, work is progressing steadily at the dam construction site for the start of impoundment of the river next year.
The sod-cutting for the commencement of the Bui power project was done in 2007 and it is due for completion in the second quarter of 2013.
When completed, it is expected to generate 400 megawatts of energy to complement the country’s existing power supply.
In a related development, the chiefs of Bui Village and Akanykrom-Bator, Nana Kwadwo Wuo II and Togbe Kpakpa Akanykrom respectively, have commended the BPA for enhancing the flow of information between the authority and the affected communities.
According to the chiefs, this development would enable the inhabitants of the affected communities to co-operate with the BPA and, for that matter the government to ensure the successful completion of the project and also help remove suspicion and mistrust.