Members of the newly constituted Board of the Volta River Authority Trust Fund over the weekend embarked on a tour to familiarize themselves with the conditions and livelihood of the residents of 52 resettlement communities in the country.
At the first port of call, the members visited places such as Anyaboni, New Senchi, Adjena, New Somanya and many other resettlement communities in the Eastern Region, where they met the chiefs and residents in order to know their challenges.
After inspecting some of the VRA projects, the board members visited  the other communities in the Brong Ahafo, Volta and Northern Regions.
The board members led by the chairman, Emmanuel Nana Antwi-Barima (rtd), also used the opportunity to address the challenges confronting the residents such as encroachment of land, poor road networks, lack of potable water, the need for expansion of education and health infrastructure, among others.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Richard Koranteng Twum-Barimah, the Executive Secretary of the Volta River Authority Trust Fund, appealed to government to review the annual $500,000 allocation into the VRA Trust Fund established to take care of the welfare of residents in the 52 resettlement communities.
He stressed that since the establishment of the Trust Fund in 1996, the $500,000 yearly allocation has never been reviewed despite exponential population growth and the high socio-economic demands of the communities.
The board chairman also said the board would ensure the fund is utilised judiciously by fixing the challenges identified according to the pressing needs of the communities.
As part of the resettlement package, the Resettlement Trust Fund was established in 1996 with an annual commitment of $500,000 to be paid into the fund by VRA to provide basic socio-economic amenities for the residents.
However, many decades after the fund was established, the residents in the resettlement communities are not happy with their current state of development, creating agitations for a better compensation package.
Over forty (40) years of their existence, the resettlement towns have suffered deprivation and life has been very difficult in those communities.
As a result of difficulties ranging from environmental degradation through poor drainage and road networks to low income levels faced by the residents, numerous complaints were persistently directed at VRA by them regarding their plight.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua   Â