Some scrap dealers are thwarting the efforts of government to resuscitate the railway system in the country.
There is no letup in the cutting of railway tracks and removal of sleepers by agents of the scrap dealers even as the railway project is gathering steam.
It is shameful that a capital intensive project of this magnitude with the objective of bringing a major turnaround in the transport system in the country will be held to ransom by criminals.
This is the most ambitious transport project yet in recent times the successful outcome of which will enhance the industrialization drive of the country.
With the Burkinabes busy working on their segment of the bilateral project, it would be shameful to note that our challenge is not about funding but from scrap dealer thieves who are busy canniabalising the tracks and sleepers and hiding same in nearby forests for later recovery.
The protection of the railway project should be put on a state of emergency. This should imply a special court hearing of suspects in a manner which should clear an unambiguous message to culprits about the country’s zero tolerance for their nonsense.
We are saddened by the fact that persons in areas which stand to benefit more from the project are not doing enough to protect the state assets. That is not to ignore the role of whistleblowers who have assisted in the recovery of some hidden tracks and sleepers deep in the forests.
In some jurisdictions persons engaged in the cannibalization of such state assets would of course be summarily executed.
When there is ample evidence against perpetrators of such crimes the maximum punitive measures should apply and without delay.
So much capital has been pumped into the railway project by government because of its positive impact on industrialization. For a few criminals to seek to draw the hands of the clock backwards the way we are observing demands swift and sledgehammer action from the state.
Chiefs, opinion leaders and others in communities where the cannibalization of the tracks and sleepers is rampant should be mobilized to offer the much needed protection.
The association of scrap dealers should also be engaged by the railway authorities and educated about the drawbacks by some of their members.
The association should stand up and be counted among citizens ready to protect state assets to avoid sharing the condemnation of some of their members.
A voluntary response from their end will go a long way in protecting these valuable assets and expedite our journey to a functioning railway system.
The national security apparatus should join hands with the police in stopping the cannibalizing of the railway infrastructure as it takes shape.
The scrap dealing points in the Ashanti, Western and Greater Accra Regions should be on the constant radar of the national security apparatus.
The police checkpoints should be on the lookout for the criminals as they cart the heavy duty items from the forest locations to their final destinations. Let us all join hands in fixing the crap of railway infrastructure thievery.