The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region has decried what he says is delays in the completion of major projects in the region. Owusu Afriyie cited the 100 million cedis Sofo line road project which he said has stalled for over six months. According to him, the delay has led to massive unemployment for youth in the area. He said the project when completed will improve the lives of residents in the Kwadaso constituency. He was speaking during President John Mills' commissioning of a health centre at Apatrapa in Kumasi. But the Road and Highways minister Joe Gidisu insists government is not to blame for the delay. He argued the previous government had only paid 23% of the total cost of the project and had awarded several other capital intensive projects across the country. “At the time that the NPP government went out of power, they were only able to pay 1.3 million cedis as compensation and that delayed the project. “Furthermore, out of the amount that they were able to pay at the time they were going out of power was 13 million cedis and this was up to 23% of the project works that were to be done,” he said. According to him, the NDC was equally confronted with other capital intensive road projects awarded by the previous government in Accra which they also had to undertake. He cited the Achimota- Ofankor, Medina-Tetteh Quarshie roads awarded by the NPP in Accra. He however expressed government’s commitment to completing all the projects. Meanwhile President John Mills who is on a three day visit to the Ashanti Region has assured residents that all projects will be completed despite the challenges. He inspected a number of infrastructural projects in the region including the Sofo-line project. “The people of Kumasi especially have every right to expect that it will be completed on schedule so that it will relieve them of the inconvenience,” he said. Source: Joy News/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana