By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Sierra Leoneans at home and aboard are calling on the Government of Sierra Leone to investigate the recent increase in building encroachments across the Wellington/Masiaka highway in the country.

Between Jui community and Waterloo encroachers are building more houses around, something many have been concerned about of recent.

Due to the massive housing encroachments along these areas: (Hastings, Songo, and Masiaka), citizens are raising their voices, thus condemning the act.

They say dust bins, gutters, drainages are encroached, making way for houses built mainly by some private individuals.

This happens mainly due  to the poor mentoring and supervision by Sierra Leone Roads Authority( SLRA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The 27-year tollgate contract signed under the previous APC-led government of Ernest Bai Koroma was initiated as part of government’s agreement for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and widening of the Wellington-Masiaka Highway.

However, many citizens hold the view that the new increase in the building encroachments by some people will create more danger for the masses and so have called on Parliament,and the Government of Sierra Leone not to accept “such an unpatriotic act” by some lawless citizens to continue.

The Minister of Works, Dr. Denis Sandi, has said the decision, to build the three tollgates, stems from the 2017 government accord with  China Railway Sixth Group (CRSG), which aims to tackle various economic factors such as currency fluctuations and the destruction of our roads as a result of vehicles overloading goods.

Citizens have observed the high rate building violations by people who continue to build “massive” houses on places left for dust bins and as drainages. These group of encroachers  along the Wellington/Masiaka highway are risking their lives and properties as they build their houses on prohibited places.

They said these places (dustins, gutters areas) are not allowed to be used for building and construction of houses.

Minister Sandi, has also said, underscored the issue of vehicles surpassing the ECOWAS weight limit of 53 tonnes.

These overloaded vehicles, often exceeding 90 tonnes, substantially contributing to road deterioration, but the tollgates are envisioned to serve as a deterrents to the damage caused by some big lorries.

While acknowledging the financial pressure on the Chinese company, citizens said they would intensify their cooperation in working to revise the policy that usher in new toll gates prices in order to maintain affordability for users.

“We believe that as  concerned citizens, the Chinese have conducted themselves remarkably well and we want them to respect our own demands to making the new toll fees reasonable enough, considering the fact that they the Chinese at CRSG have been losing a total of 6 million dollars a year,” said the concerned citizens of Sierra Leone, explaining the Chinese situation over the high costs of the foreign exchange rate in the country which is affecting their business.