W/R Minister unveils government action plan to revive ailing GRC

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has unveiled government’s action plan to revive Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL), which is currently struggling to operate all its fleet and control of its routes due to financial challenges.

According to the Regional Minister President John Dramani Mahama would fix the problems facing the company and the Railway sector generally.

“What you need now is action. And action is on its way”, Joseph Nelson told the management and staff of the company, when he met them at Takoradi recently.

The Minister explained that the government would implement pragmatic policies and programmes out of the “Big Push” infrastructure development framework being introduced by this administration to reposition the rail sector transport and ultimately operations of the company.

He stressed that bringing back the country’s rail transport sector would improve commercial activities in Sekondi-Takoradi and Western Region generally, hence the determination.
The Minister, however, indicated that the Railway sector as it stands now would require enormous investment and that obviously would be tackled in the “big push” agenda of government.
He said the workers of the GRC have over the years listened to sweet words and lip service being paid to them by authorities instead of commitment to revive the company.

Ghana Railway Company Limited, he underscored, had served the country’s transport sector well, and that under no circumstance should government of Ghana preside over the collapse of company.

The Managing Director of Ghana Railway Company Limited, Ing. Dr. Michael Adjei Anyetei, who has worked for 11 years with the company in Takoradi said since the Minister was abreast with the issues, he would not waste his time trying to convince him.

He nonetheless pointed out the issues currently confronting the operations of the country’s Railway sector. These issues, he said, remained very sensitive and dear to the hearts of the workers.
Established in 1896, the company, he revealed, operated very well and everything was fine until the recent past when it lost all its commodities to road competitors
From Awaso to Takoradi, he said the Railway stopped working due to bad infrastructure along the operational zones.

“We couldn’t continue to be running at a loss. You will bear with me that in the rail sector anything you do is capital intensive”
Aside that, for over 6 months, salaries of the workers havealso not been paid by the government.

“He pleaded with Minister Joseph Nelson to do everything humanly possible to ensure the payment of the salary arrears.

“If the Railway shines, is on you, if the railway fails, which I don’t wish, is on you,” he told the Minister.
Ing. Dr. Michael Adjei Anyetei had briefed the Minister on the current state of the company and explained that the productive capacity of the company had been taken over by vehicular competitors.

In an attempt to revive the operations of the company, he disclosed that his outfit  had entered into an agreement with Ghana Manganese Company in anticipation that revenue generation would improve systematically and the welfare of workers equally improved.

He, however, said the new agreement with Ghana Manganese Company must be backed by government to enhance rail operations in the country.
Ing. Dr. Michael Adjei Anyetei noted that he had already had a meeting with the Minister for Transport who gave assurance that payment of the salary arrears of the workers would be carried

The post W/R Minister unveils government action plan to revive ailing GRC appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story