TIGHTEN SECURITY AT T'DI AIRFIELD.....Page 25

Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi

THE airfield at the Takoradi Air Force Station, which is supposed to be one of the major entry points for teams taking part in the Ghana 2008, has become a common footpath for pedestrians and a rest place for animals, thus posing danger to the aircraft that would land at the aerodrome.
Apart from the numerous public footpaths that criss-cross the airfield, the northern part of the runway is also being used by herdsmen, gardeners, and it also serves as a home for lunatics as well as drug pushers.
Most of the time, when an aircraft is approaching the station, the fire officers at the station have to drive away pedestrians, herdsmen as well as the stray animals to avert danger.
As the airfield is being upgraded to some acceptable standard as having VVIP and VIP lounges, arrival and departure halls as well as a restaurant and other facilities, it would be disastrous if nothing is done to stop those unauthorised human activities around the airfield.
An expert has expressed the view that developing infrastructure at the airfield without fencing it is not the best and called for the airfield to be fenced.
During a tour of the airfield by the Minister of Aviation, Ms Gloria, and her entourage recently, the station commander said it was evident that the aerodrome needed to be safeguarded against unauthorised human and animal activities.
At the time of the minister’s visit, some members of the community were seen walking across the airfield, oblivious of the dangers they were exposed to. Even though the northern part of the field was overgrown with weeds, some of the drug pushers still patronise the paths.
Communities living around the airfield also farm around the station.
The Station Commander, Air Commodore Samson Oje, said the activities of the fringe communities posed a threat to safety at the station.
He said the only solution to the problem was to provide a fence between the Takoradi Cemetery and the Air Force Training School.  
“The Takoradi airfield is now virtually surrounded by buildings and roads, especially the northern part,” he said.
He warned that the security problems associated with those human activities were numerous, “and this needs to be tackled before a very serious problems arises”.
Air Cdr Oje said as a result of the exposure, firemen at the station had to chase people and the stray animals away from the runway before an aircraft could land and that a little oversight could lead to serious consequences.
When the Daily Graphic news team visited the airfield later, it saw animals resting on the runway after grazing around the aerodrome.