Rivers State Civil Society Organization RIVSCO has warned that attempts to remove traders and shops along the route of the proposed Port Harcourt ring road project without giving them adequate time and compensation will pose as problems to the people involved.
The chairman of RIVSCO Enefaa Georgewill stated this while urging the state government to consider the hardship that the effect of the removal of petro subsidy has already caused on the traders.
Mr. Georgewill narrating that “They were asked to leave without enough notice to plan themselves and compensation plans wasn’t discussed as their means of livelihood will be taken away. We are calling on the executive governor of Rivers State to put human phase to development, the current fuel subsidy removal has thrown lot of people into poverty.
He further said “government at all levels should avoid any action that will compound the situation as the resultant effect of criminality and insecurity will portray the state in bad light.”
Saying, “We also call on government to engage this traders to reduce the pain the construction of this ring road will cause them. The role of government is to solve the problem of the people, not to cause them pain.”
Meanwhile the public relations secretary of the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners Rivers State Chapter Njoku Sopuruchi has faulted the route chosen for the Port Harcourt ring road project in an interview it describes it as a time bomb waiting to happen Mr. Sopuruchi said the ring roads are meant to open up new cities and towns and not pass through densely populated areas like Diobu, Ogbogoro and other communities.
Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, Rivers State Chapter
“The road is passing through densely populated and developed areas. The idea of a ring road is to open up new town and new cities, this one is passing through already developed neighborhood. This is like putting a time bomb in where people are living. A number of buildings will be demolished because we are expecting tankers, trailers and other heavy duty vehicles to ply that road, where you have people living very close to it.
The town planners want the state government to identify areas where the second phase of the ring road will start and stop to avoid demolition of already developed structures.
“Government can reconsider the route the road is passing to avoid some unnecessary demolition. For future purpose, for the second phase, let us identify where it would pass now than waiting after five, six or seven years when people have already built and they want to come and demolish. Lets identify this areas, acquire them and track them out that is what master plan does.”
On ways to stop the regular demolition of properties by the state government Mr. Njoku Sopuruchi said the government should always tag areas meant for development to avoid intrusion.
“The original plans were not planned out so even if there were original plans as they are saying, people have already built on the whole area, what the master plan is supposed to do is like a guide to future development, the government would have come to this neighborhood 10 to 15 years ago telling them that there is a proposed ring road on the master plan that nobody should build around this area by so doing there won’t be this need for compensation or demolition of people’s house, they have not being planning in Rivers State.”
As you may know the 50.15km Port Harcourt rude is meant to pass through populated areas like Ogbogoro, Diobu, Rumuosi, Eagle Island, Mgbodo, Ozuoba, Aluu, Rumuekini, Ikwerre Road, Rukpokwu, Eneka, Igbo-Etche among other communities.
