Former River Gee County Senator, Matthew Jaye, is warning the Minister of Public Works, Roland Giddings, not to go ahead with the planned dismantling and relocating of Ponorken Iron Bridge outside of the county.
The former lawmaker said though a new bridge has been constructed to replace the iron bridge, the item is still useful in River Gee.
Jaye’s warning comes in the wake of report that Minister Giddings is taking a unilateral decision to relocate the old bridge to ITI, where government is undertaking a bridge construction project. He described the plan as counterproductive to the development of the county and, therefore, urged the minister to halt the relocation effort at once.
The former senator emphasized that the materials used to construct the old bridge remain the properties of the people of River Gee, and that any attempt to take them elsewhere without the approval of the people will be met with stiff resistance.
He emphasized that, if Minister Giddings is serious about the matter, he should use the iron to construct bridges in the county.
Former senator Jaye maintained further that River Gee require six (6) more bridges on its major roads if the government is to achieve its nationwide policy on roads in that county.
The former senator noted that the county needs a bridge over the Nor River in Tiempo and other strategic crossing points in the county.
Meanwhile, tension is reportedly building up in River Gee County over the relocation plan, with citizens threatening to resist the decision at all cost.
One traditional leader in the county’s capital, Fish Town, said the people will not hesitate to carry out citizens’ arrest of any engineer attempting to remove the iron bridge from its present location over Gee River. Investigation continues.