Residents of Shama, the capital town of Shama District in the Western Region, say they are afraid for their safety in the night due to nonfunctioning streetlights.
According to residents, areas including the Grabodu-Komfueku road and the Shama Junction to Shama, which is the capital of the district, are all covered in darkness at night, with not a single functioning streetlight.
The Shama Junction to Shama stretch which hosts important institutions like the Shama Senior High School, the Shama District Assembly, Health Directorate, Fire Service and the District Court does not have a working streetlight, leaving the stretch pitch dark at nightfall.
Without the headlights of passing vehicles or the occasional glow from nearby houses, navigating the stretch becomes a challenge. The poor condition of the road makes it nearly impossible to walk safely in the dark.
This dire situation is making life unbearable for residents who are afraid to leave their homes after 7 p.m. Students of Shama Senior High School are especially vulnerable, with many expressing fears for their safety at night. They say the lack of streetlights has transformed the area into a hotspot for social vices.
The situation is also adversely affecting the business of commercial drivers. Kwame Owusu, a taxi driver who plies the stretch lamented that the lack of streetlights is reducing their operating hours.
“Due to the poor state of the road coupled with the extreme darkness we encounter at night, we are compelled to close early at night as it becomes very difficult to drive on the road…so if you have gotten your daily sales or not, you have to close, and this affects our earnings,” he lamented.
Meanwhile the Assembly Member for Shama, Issah Abubakar, says efforts to get bulbs to light up the streets has been futile.
” We only need 15 light bulbs to light the stretch but have been lobbying for the bulbs from the Assembly for years now but all my efforts fall on deaf ears.”
“The situation is dire as residents often tell me of theft of mobile phones and snatching of handbags on the road” he said.
Source:onuaonline.com