The chiefs and people of Juapong in the Volta Region are mulling over the slow operations of Volta Star Company, formerly Juapong Textile Company.

Three months after its colourful grand opening by President Kufuor, the company is yet to commence full scale production and the people, who had high hopes of a ready employment and assurance of food on the table, do not know what next to expect.

According to Joy News’ Fred Avornyo, who just returned from a visit to the factory, its imposing building looked plush from a distance, however, only a skeletal staff was on site, managing what officials said were test runs of the refurbished equipment.

Despite assurances that U-Rich Limited, a Chinese textiles and garments giant will partner government to run the company, Joy News investigations suggest that has not happened and the government was still searching for a strategic partner.

Residents of the town are worried that they might have to wait a while longer before the jobs promised from the factory materialize.

Already social and economic activities in the area have dipped sharply since the company was closed, and according to Mr. George Dablo, Head of the only Secondary School, student population has shrunk to about 50 percent, while school fees of ¢285,000,000 are in arrears.

Most of the affected students had their parents previously employed by the company, but since they lost their jobs, they have had to either withdraw their wards or keep promising they would honour their part of the bargain some day.

Settler workers have also relocated elsewhere with their wards.

The Regent of Dorfor, Togbui Gborglah, said they had very high hopes of employment and would always be grateful to the President for resuscitating the company, however with the turn of events, their hopes are fast fading.

“Now our expectation is that when the place is opened we shall see work going on smoothly as expected, but unfortunately for us we only realise that operations are going on at a snail’s pace which we are not very pleased with. Everything has come to a standstill because commercially market women don’t get people to buy their things, and even drivers don’t get passengers to board their vehicles because there is no money in the system.”

The acting Head of Communication and Public Affairs at the Trade and Industry Ministry, Conduah Agyekumhene however told Fred Avornyo that the rehabilitated machinery is in full production but “may not be in quantities that will earn us profit. But that is where we have taken off to ensure that the factory is running.”

“The factory was closed down; we needed to do a lot of rehabilitation of both the equipment and facilities and now what they are doing now is not in commercial quantities, what we are doing is test runs…and see how best we can fix in new ones. We need to put the factory in shape, we cannot let it collapse so we have put it back. We are still building up.”

He said there was need for additional production lines in order to have the maximum capacity; “what will really make it commercial. We are not rushing into production, you know, taking on what will later turn round to become an albatross and we cannot sustain.

Conduah Agyekumhene said the company was working on the status of the workers and had started issuing them appointment letters.