General News of Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2024-04-23Peter Amewu rebukes Mahama's criticism of train accident response
John Peter Amewu, Minister for Railway Development
Ghanaian
Railways Development Minister, John Peter Amewu, has strongly criticized former President John Dramani Mahama for his comments regarding the recent train accident involving Ghana’s new train.
The accident occurred during a test run when the train collided with a truck parked on the rail line at Abortia in the Volta Region.
Responding
Read full articleto Mr. Mahama's comments on social media questioning the lack of track inspection before the test run, Minister Amewu defended the process, stating, “I totally disagree with his excellency John Dramani Mahama. I don’t blame him, this is not his field.
“These guys who did this test run are experts. These are 16 engineers who were brought from Poland. This is the 304th test they’ve conducted worldwide this year, I was told."
Minister Amewu emphasized that the inspection and test run were conducted by the engineers from Poland as part of the contract terms.
He explained, “They put in a system for inspection. Earlier on in the morning, they went around the whole line to see that there was no obstacle. 30 minutes before the takeoff of this DMU, the rail track, and the maintenance track were put ahead."
He further criticized Mr. Mahama, stating, “Did he [John Mahama] try to find out whether the inspection was done as a former president? He knows me well, he could just find out from me and they will tell him the truth. He has not established that fact and then he comes out with this kind of statement."
Regarding the possibility of sabotage, Minister Amewu stated, “What I can say is that the motive of just parking along the rail is very uncultured and cannot be accepted in any modern civilization."
In conclusion, Minister Amewu reiterated that the accident was a tragic coincidence and urged caution in making assumptions about the incident.
He emphasized the need for continued efforts to improve railway safety in Ghana and expressed confidence in the expertise of the engineers involved in the test run.
