Violence against women: an increasing pandemic

By Helena Selby


It has always been of the notion that education and modernity have the capability of changing the perception of people about some uncivilized activities of the past, but that seems not to be the issue. It is the 21st Century, but violence against women has always been on the increase rather than decrease.

Decades have by, but yet still, despite the campaign on prevention of violence against women, people still turn deaf ears towards the issue of gender equality. Violence against women has been a problem which has been very hard to tackle by many governments, human rights organisations, and even the United Nations (UN).

The UN, seeing the increase of the plight of women on the issue of violence, thought it prudent to set aside November 25 as an international day for the elimination of violence against women. This date, as well is the date on which 16 days of activism against gender based violence is being observed worldwide. It has been almost 15 years since the Beijing conference on women, and 10 years since the UN’s formal recognition of November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, but still women face violations day in day out.

Violence against women

Violence has been a plague in the lives of every girl or woman. It has been a stumbling block, hindering their development in the world, even in the developed world where many laws are made to protect women. Women tend to be vulnerable to all kinds abuse at almost all stages of their, lives even before they are born. According to the UN estimate, through female infanticide, over 60 million girls are missing, due to the ‘son preference’. No day passes by in a community or a country without a woman being violated, either privately or publicly. Women face all kinds of violations some being physical, sexual, economic, emotional, and even verbal abuse.

Among these abuses, women tend to face mostly the trauma and psychological effect of sexual abuse. Violence against women, in terms of sexual abuse, is on the increase from time to time. Even in war zones, soldiers tend to rape women a lot, even before they are shot. Women, no matter the age group, are subjected to defilement and rape. Husbands subject their wives to marital rape, denying them a say in their sex lives. Violence against women can be associated to the way society is made up, that is the cultural beliefs of the society which makes the men more important.

This culture belief considers the woman’s role to be only in the kitchen and in child-bearing. They are denied the privilege of taking decisions for themselves, since their will is placed in the hands of their fathers and that of their husbands when they get married. Sometimes, the inability of women to take care of themselves economically, due to lack of education or the traditions of the community, makes them vulnerable to the dictatorship of men. As if women are born to be violated, some women overcome the above factors of violence, but yet still, in one way or the other, undergo abuse due to their feminine fragility.

Statistics of violence against women

In the United States, where culture is not is not of great concern, women are still abused, despite the numerous laws protecting their rights. According to the Anti-Violence Resource Guide, 17.6 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape. 64% of women who reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked since age 18, were victimised by a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, boyfriend, or date. In Ghana, according to the Ghana National Study on Violence 1998, a survey of 2,069 women and girls, two out of three (67%) women who had experienced domestic violence, suffered injuries, and one in five of these injuries were severe - that is open wounds, broken bones and broken teeth. One in three (33%) women had been beaten, slapped or physically punished by a current or recent partner. This survey by the Ghana National Study has been long overdue, so probably the number and percentage of women violated has been on the increase, as reported incidences have been very frequent.

Violence against women in Ghana

In Ghana government has tried its best to protect women through the establishment of the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service (DOVVSU) and the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act 2007, Act 732, but still, women fall victim to violence. Women still fall victim to their culprit men, who tend to have possess masculine strength. Apart from being underrated in the various aspects of their lives, they as well face numerous harassments and assaults in their relationships. Marriage to most people in society is a direct transfer of the woman’s will into the hands of the man. The woman has no say, even in sex, which as a result, always leads to marital rape, severe beatings, and sometimes spousal murder. Women are always scared of being divorced when they report any abuse of their partner to the police. Society has contributed to the violence against women, especially in the marital home.

In society a man beating his wife is considered a purely family affair, and that no third party needs to intrude. Women have been tamed psychologically, in a sense that one’s husband beating her up, is a sign of love and correction, so reporting him means one is stubborn and does not want to adhere to correction, but just wants to destroy the love the husband has for her.

Many pastors have also considered the bad attitude of husbands towards their wives, as a spell cast on the man, so the woman is advised to be fervent in prayers, and wait for God’s own appointed time. In this case, the woman reporting the case is considered a breach in the intervention of God in their marital homes.

What is the government doing?

Apart from the DOVVSU and the Domestic Act protecting women, Members of Parliament (MPs) of the country expressed their views and concerns on the way forward out of this pandemic during the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. According to these MPs, female teachers are mostly those who perpetuate violence against their fellow female pupils, and must make it a point to stop the barbaric act they sometimes put female pupils through. The plight of women was attributed to some weird religious beliefs and other influences from community leaders, who exhort women to stand by their husbands under all circumstances, while at the same time, fail to take a clear stand against wife battery and marital rape. It was noted that “widows and battered women remain very vulnerable, miserable, marginalised and often rejected by their families or in-laws. They remain traumatised in their various difficult conditions, or survive by chance.” If society really wants to help in the eradication of this issue, some cultural practices need to be looked into, and some blunders rectified.

Ghanaians were called upon to collaborate effectively in compelling the customary system to fully respect the rights of women and girls, as enshrined in the Constitution and laws of the land. They must help in the eradication of all forms of violence against women and girls, including marital rape, wife beating, child and other forced marriages, Trokosi, female genital mutilation (FGM) and humiliating widowhood rites.

The Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), as their part of helping combat the problem of violence against women, has decided to dedicate the 16 days of activism against gender based violence to women in the Western, Central, Volta and Greater Accra regions. It will provide education on the domestic violence act, and on-site mobile legal aid service for those who will need advice.

Conclusion

The UN’s formal recognition of November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, should be a reminder of the government’s promise to represent 40% women in government, and as well, a reminder to promote gender equality in the country. The positive reaction of the government and MPs towards the eradication of this plague, should not be a nine day wonder, but a continuous activity, since their involvement in the campaign serves as a stronghold to its eradication.

The Bui Dam Project and Effects on the People

By: Helena Selby

The inability of the Akosombo dam to sustain the nation and other neighbouring countries has brought about the relevance of constructing another dam to supplement its supply. It is the hope of the nation that history does not repeat itself, where the water level of the Akosombo dam fell due to inadequate rainfall, compelling the electricity company to ration power for the whole nation, and the other neighbouring countries.

This situation brought about a lot of inconvenience to private and commercial businesses and even to domestic users. People made a lot of loss in their businesses. The Akosombo dam, being the sole supplier of hydroelectric power in the country, which is also one of the cheapest forms of power generation, always puts the nation in an inconvenient situation when a problem arises.

Even in the capital cities, power outages are the order of the day, with some suburbs experiencing outages which last sometimes up to a week.

Those who are fortunate not to obtain any power outages in turn experience power fluctuations, making it impossible to leave appliances like fridges on, when leaving home.

The government taking into consideration all these inconveniences embarked upon the construction of another dam to complement that of Akosombo.

That is the Bui Dam situated in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana.

The Bui Dam

The Bui Dam is meant to supplement the supply of hydroelectric power in the country. This project is under the National Coordinating Committee of the Ghana Dams Dialogue (GDD). This committee provides the arena for constructive deliberations around contentious issues related to hydropower dams, and apart from its activities attracting representatives from governmental ministries, it has, as well, received support from the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

According to Mr. Richard Twum Koranteng from the secretariat of the GDD, the need for broadly agreed hydroelectric power sustainability assessment tools and standards, and avoidance of desperate approaches being used at the local, national and regional levels, necessitated the development of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) by the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum (HSAF). According to a report by Joy FM, an Accra-based radio station, the project would cover the construction of a new metropolis, a national park, and an irrigation system to provide constant supply of water for all-year farming activities in the area. The Bui Dam project itself, is expected to generate 400 megawatts on completion. The construction of the dam has the possibility of flooding some parts of the Bui National Park, and would affect a large number native wildlife species, and as well force people there to resettle elsewhere.

GDD plan for the communities The construction of the dam has brought about seven displaced communities, unlike during the construction of the Akosombo Dam, where about 52 communities were displaced, and government found difficulty in relocating them, that of the Bui dam is quite different, as the communities are not as many. Most times, a project which is meant to protect the interest of the country turns round to destroy the livelihoods of the people.

For instance, mining activities, which are meant to bring immense revenue to the country to help in raising the living standards of the people, rather makes the people a lot more destitute and needy.

This is because these mining companies do not pay adequate compensation, and the people whose lands are acquired fall into abject poverty with the acquisition.

Unlike the Bui Dam project, the affected people were well compensated, and their livelihoods still in progression. The third phase of the GDD was purposely aimed at building and providing tools for improved decision-making, leading to equitable, transparent, participatory and sustainable development of dams in Ghana.

However, its main objective is to provide recommendations and practical guidelines of primary use to the Bui Development Authority, for managing the impact on dam-affected communities, particularly those related to agriculture livelihoods and food security.

Additionally, to share information and increase awareness about resettlement and dam-related issues affecting local communities, and to bring together representatives of all dam affected communities, including Bui area, and other relevant stakeholders to deliberate on problems of the townships, and to come up with a common agenda for action towards the redress of the negative impact of dams on affected communities.

Communities and compensation process

According to Togbe Adom Drayi II from Tsyome Sabadu in the Kpondo District, and who is also the Chairman for the 52 Development Townships in Ghana, the people affected by the Bui dam project, so far are satisfied with the compensation process. The compensation of crops will be accessed by monetary value, those owning land will as well be compensated, and those whose houses were destroyed will have their houses replaced for them. He said out of the seven communities affected, about four have been relocated, however one of the communities was not satisfied with the nature of the houses, as they claim that they are smaller than their previous houses.

Indeed, when the GDD went around monitoring, they seconded the notion that the houses were small and too close to each other, and that they do not look like houses for a community, but rather camps. They therefore urged the builders to make the next houses a suitable place for the people to live in. According to Togbe Drayi II, it was sad that the farmers, after the compensation, will not have the chance to continue with their farming activities, as they might not get any land to farm. The GDD has therefore taken it upon themselves to educate them as to how they can make other livelihoods like aqua-farming or any other vocation with their compensations.

Outcome of the Bui dam construction

The construction of the dam will bring about the sustainability of power supply in the country, which will eventually help the businesses of people who depend on electrical power to sustain their industries. Households and companies will stop complaining about their appliances getting damaged, and to some extent, they will be able to save money, as they will not keep on buying and repairing damaged appliances. Moreover, the Bui dam construction will well provide employment. It will go a long way in sustaining the livelihood of many Ghanaians, especially people in the Bui township.

According to a statement made by former President John Agyekum Kufuor, about 3,000 people will be employed under the Bui Dam project. The offer of employment will decrease the government’s burden of unemployment in the country. The standard of living of the people will improve, and all kinds of social vices will be reduced.

Conclusion

The construction of the Bui dam has been a long term dream, which is soon to become a reality, as its benefits will rescue citizens of the nation from all kinds of inconveniences, both at the workplace and in the home. It is therefore the duty of all stakeholders involved in the project, to help study all subjects relating to the construction of the dam, and questions that are yet to surface, so as to help bring the dam to completion.

Individuals, especially the affected communities, should as well show support, and give attention to the compensation process, in order for them to speed up the project.

Women demand more positions in government

By Helena Selby

The fight for the rights of women is not recent, but begun years ago. Society on realising the way women were always being under rated, brought about the fight for women to be heard, and allowed to partake in important decisions and proposals relevant for the development of society.

Even though the fight and plea of women to be heard in society has been going on for decades, the same society still underestimates their abilities and capabilities. Women all over the world, till date, have been fighting for their stand in society, and some have gone to the extent of gaining the position of presidents in their nations, but others keep on fighting, to no avail.

It didn’t just begin with the Beijing Conference in 1995, which brought about the slogan, “What a man can do, a woman can do, and even better,” but a conference held in Mexico. The first world conference on the status of women was convened in Mexico City to coincide with the 1975 International Women’s Year, observed to remind the international community that discrimination against women continues to be a persistent problem in much of the world. Even though these conferences have come and gone, women are still doubted about their ability and capabilities, due to one reason or the other.

Women in Ghana

The fight for women’s rights Ghana has never been a nine-day wonder, but a day to day activity. The aggressiveness of women gaining power compelled many political parties to make promises for women. One might not know the reason, but according to sources, these political parties made their promises due to way women outnumber men in the country.

These political parties are of the notion that if these promises are made, the possibility of women voting for them was high. Irrespective of what society might think, what are women doing for themselves as women? The campaign for women’s rights might go on everyday, but the question is, what is the perception of women about fellow women? The saying that “women are their own enemies,” in one way or the other, seems to be a truism. The majority of women in Ghana and many parts of the world, whether educated or not, shun the fact that their fellow women lead them. According to their reason, women are conceited when they are in power, are kind of too strict, never heed advice, and tend to be very disrespectful to society and their spouses as well, while some people also see a group as being unlucky when it is being led by a woman.

According to Mrs. Gladys Akins, she once decided to buy an item from a nearby store, to her dismay the shopkeeper refused to sell the item to her with the explanation that she is a woman.

According to the reason of the storekeeper, it is bad luck, if a woman is the first to buy from a shop early in the morning, and that she could only sell to her if she waited for a man to come and buy first, or she goes somewhere else. Looking at the scenario of Mrs. Akins and the storekeeper, what is the possibility that a woman will be voted into power during election time? Many political parties have the desire to allow a woman to stand for them in certain constituencies, but fear that they will not be voted for by their fellow women.

Women in the fight for their rights

Irrespective of what some women do to underrate their fellow women, others have thought of the need to allow women’s voices to be heard in society, and continue to fight for their rights. There are a lot of organisations fighting today for women’s rights, but so far ABANTU for Development, through the Women’s Manifesto Coalition and Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana, are the two major women’s rights organisations.

They have been championing the cause for Affirmative Action Policy for Women’s Participation in Ghana. In April 2008, WiLDAF Ghana, ABANTU for Development, with sponsorship from Canadian Crossroads International (CCI), organised a roundtable discussion on the “Affirmative Action Now” Campaign.

The objective of this discussion was to enable participants ascertain the status of the Ghana government’s commitment to the implementation of Ghana’s affirmative action and development of an affirmative action policy. This was to enable participants discuss action plans and engage the government towards an affirmative action policy in all sectors, particularly political decision-making. In February 3, 2009, a courtesy call on President John Evans Atta Mills, among other demands, was for the Affirmative Action Policy.

These organisations had always thought that with the promise of the present government in power, their dreams of being represented greatly will be fulfilled, as they were promised 40% women representation in government. However, this dream has been a mirage, as the promise of this present government was not really backed by any documentation, but just a saying. Women in government in Ghana

During the 2008 presidential elections, all the presidential candidates promised to give women a chance to have their portion of percentage in government. The elected president, his Excellency John Evans Atta Mills, promised the women of Ghana of a 40% representation in his government. However, this promise of the President has not come to pass, as women are still being underestimated, when it comes to power in government. According to a research by WILDAF, after five months in power, though appointments for the various government positions have been done, the promise of 40% representation of women in governance has not come to pass.

So far, the Government Economic Advisory Council has a total membership of 10, which is composed of only men. Does this mean that there are no woman economists in Ghana? The Council of State, with a total membership of 25, has 22 men and only three women.

The total number of ambassadors is 32, with 25 men, and seven women. Cabinet Ministers total 19, with 15 as men and four women. Regional ministers are a total of 10, with 9 as men, and only one woman. Proposed way of representing women in government Many a time, there are complaints that women are not very interested in the politics and government appointments, so enough women are not gotten to take certain positions. In view of this, there has been a proposal as to how women will be trained to take an interest in governance. According to Madam Beatrix Allah Mensah, a member of WILDAF, there is the need to revise and implement existing affirmative action measures, including 40% representation of women in public appointive positions. It is as well very important to strengthen the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs and its agencies with technical, financial and logistical support, and adopt and implement Gender Budgeting.

Gender-specific provisions need to be incorporated in development strategies with monitorable indicators. Moreover, the government needs to designate special funds from public or state funds, to support programs to increase women’s representation.

Women are to be helped to adequately lobby for public positions, by supporting the development of a core training manual on women’s leadership, commitment to the implementation of political parties commitment to increase women’s presence in politics, re-organize women’s wings to be more integrated into the party structure and adequately resource the women’s wing financially and logistically. Additionally, commit to selecting women to contest a selected number of their safe seats, and support to the development of a training manual for women leadership.

Conclusion

The cry of women is to just to have some kind of say in government, and be given a voice to speak for themselves, and to some extent, for the nation as a whole. It will be a good thing if the present government gives women a chance to prove themselves, by giving them 40% in government. It will be a sign of good governance and democratic rule, if the government in power will give women that chance.

Bui Dam Resettlements - Livelihoods And Institutional Challenges

By Helena Selby

Accra — Every decision of every democratic nation is deemed to benefit the people and the nation as a whole, sometimes to gain favour before the people. Even though some economic decisions like mining projects tend to negatively affect the lives of the people, some economic projects like hydropower dam construction, taking into consideration the government and stakeholders involved, go a long way in helping the nation from generation to generation.

The Akosombo dam has been of service to the people of Ghana, and some of its neighbouring countries for some decades now, but just as anything which wears out in its productivity as times go by, or if it is subject too much pressure, so has the Akosombo dam reduced its productiveness to the people of Ghana and neighbouring countries. The Bui hydropower dam project is one of the hydropower dams meant to complement the supply of electricity to the people of Ghana. This project, despite its benefits, has rendered some of the residents of Bui homeless and jobless. Unlike the Volta River resettlement scheme, which 80,000 people were evacuated to 52 newly-created townships, and the Kpong Dam project, which affected about 6,000 people, however the Bui Dam Resettlements would have to relocate 900 people to various sites. From the look of things, compared to the other resettlement projects which entailed thousands of people, the Bui project entailed just about 900 people, which in a way, might make it easier to resettle them. Even though their number cannot be compared to other affected resettlement projects, according to the stakeholders and government agencies involved, they are facing some challenges in the resettlement project, which is preventing the convenience they need to resettle the people.

Bui Township

Bui is a small community, with a population of not up to a thousand, and can be found in the Eastern Region of Ghana. According to the Center for National Culture (CNC) website, the people of Bui are not native Kulanghos, but Nafaana within the Banda Traditional Area of the newly-created Tain District. One can imagine a high Kulangho influence in parts of the catchment area, as it is close to the Kulangho communities in Côte d'Ivoire, where the people can be described as a large and sociologically powerful group. The people of the Bui Gorge area, comprise the Ligbi, the Nafaana, Ntorre Awutu, Degha (Djamo or Mo), Bono, Gonja, Ewe (Tongu) and to a lesser degree Kulangho. The groups listed can be found in communities which they identify as their own within the Bole and Tain districts in the Northern and Brong Ahafo regions respectively. The people of the Bui Gorge catchment area are peasant farmers, and cultivate mainly yam, cassava, guinea corn, groundnuts and bottle gourds for their seeds, commonly known as Ain in Akan. They usually sell their produce at the Techiman Market. They also cultivate calabash plants, and generally keep livestock in communal kraals with common herdsmen who are paid through individuals contributions. Today, there are not many cattle in the area, especially at Jama village where there is not a single cow or goat.

The main foods relished in the area are yam fufu and abetie (Akan), cassava dough steamed in maize porridge, locally called kode and koo in Guan and Degh/Vagli respectively, eaten with soups, ranging from plain sauce through wet and dried vegetables. Until the establishment of the Bui national park, and the enforcement of the wildlife protection laws, the people of Bui depended on fish and game as one of their natural sources of protein. Since then, the people get their fish from seasonal communal fishing. Sometimes during the dry season, they as well go on group hunting on individual community basis for game.

Resettlement of the people of Bui and challenges

The issue of taking care of the affected communities of the Bui hydropower dam project has been one of the central ideas of government and stakeholders involved in the project, and have come to the realisation that there is the need to address the livelihood and institutional challenges for the sustainable development of dams in Ghana. Even though the people seem to be small in number, compared to that of the Akosombo hydropower dam and Kpong hydrodam projects, the stakeholders and people in charge of the resettlement project, as well as the natives, seem to be encountering certain challenges concerning their relocation. At the 3rd Ghana Dam Forum, which took place in Accra, under the theme "Address livelihood and institutional challenges for sustainable dam development in Ghana," it was realised that the Bui dam resettlement project had various challenges, which include a problem of access to farmland and farm size. According to them, there are only two acres of farmlands replacing five or more at previous sites. Additionally, the new farmlands are not as fertile as the previous ones. Considering the occupation of the people of Bui, where most of their livelihood depends on farming, therefore the reduction of the size of their farmland, compared to the previous one, is a direct deduction of their livelihood, income and standard of living. Moreover, the fertility of the land, at the verge of turning fallow, will be a big blow to the productivity of their crops. Moreover, there is a problem of housing facing the resettlement project, according to them, there is the issue of housing, as the houses available are either inadequate, of poor quality or inappropriate. It was reported recently that out of the seven communities affected, about four have been relocated, however one of the communities is not satisfied with the nature of the houses, as they claim that they are smaller than their previous houses. Indeed, when the Ghana Dam Dialogue (GDD) went round monitoring, they seconded the fact that the houses were small and too close to each other, and that it does not look like housing for communities, but rather camps.

For every community to survive, the presence of social amenities and basic infrastructure go to the extent to improving every aspect of its livelihood. In as much as these things are important, it is one of the major challenges facing the resettlement issue of the Bui hydropower dam project. According to them, there is the absence of portable drinking water at the places of relocation. As water is a very important asset to mankind, it would make the stay of the relocated people very difficult. Additionally, the absence of electricity will make it difficult for them to engage in activity that needs electrical power. Since they are about to get used to not having electricity, apart from them being in darkness and their activities stacked up at night, they will also have to go through the plight of they not getting abreast with information, especially that of television. Even though stakeholders have done their best, by providing electricity from solar energy for lighting, but the relocated cannot afford the cost of light bulbs, and solar is the most expensive source of energy.

As if these challenges are not enough, the relocated have to face the situation of entering into new livelihood skills after relocation, that is to say the farmers have no choice than to change their farming occupation into fishing, and are not abreast with the skills needed. Others have no choice than to focus their attention to the acquisition of new skills and vocations.

Way forward

At the forum, it was made that clear that the challenges of Bui, were not the only challenges faced when resettling dam affected people, but the Volta River Resettlement Scheme had challenges such as the absence of access to farmlands and farm sizes. That is to say, these are small farms, compared to previous farms prior to relocation. The houses were inadequate, inappropriate, and lack technical know-how for the maintenance of such housing families. There were as well, absent or inadequate basic infrastructures such as roads, schools, clinics, electricity, water, etc. Stakeholders, as well as the government, have thought it wise that resettling the people of Bui to a location without or with inadequate basic infrastructure, could pose a threat to their living conditions.

Moreover, there was environmental degradation, that is to say the top soil was destroyed by the wind, serious erosion, and forest vegetation turned to savannah. The small farm sizes affected incomes. The change from forest crops to savannah crops and poor roads affected marketing, barter trade 25 years after construction of the dam. Furthermore, they encountered the issue of inadequate consultation - wide range of key stakeholders, governance, equity, participatory approach to the planning process. The authority as well faced institutional challenges such as inadequate funding for the Volta Basin Research Unit at the University of Ghana. Engaging international experts in resettlement projects - to what extent should they be involved as against local participation of local know-how?

t was therefore thought wise that in order for these challenges not to re-surface in the near dam resettlement project, there ought to be ample time for them to build houses for the relocated, as one of the challenges they faced was inadequate time for the constructions which could affect the quality of housing. Availability of time will give them ideas on rectifying a mistake in their construction, in case a mistake occurs. They as well attributed the rise of these challenges to the non-involvement of the people in the provision of housing. In avoiding this situation in the near future, there is the need for them to involve the people affected, in every decision making, right from the very onset.

Conclusion

The resettlement of people is a situation which greatly affects the way of life, and livelihood of the people involved. It would therefore be of importance if the project of resettlement is given a holistic approach, so as to make relocation not a difficult time for the affected people. Stakeholders should make planners aware that there was the need for them to involve the district assemblies in the projects, including ownership, more involvement of affected groups in resettlement decisions, and a continuous monitoring of resettlement schemes will help prevent future challenges. Likewise, there ought to be monitoring and evaluation of resettlement projects to improve approaches to resettlement, and strengthen the capacity for doing so, and all stakeholders should be brought on board at all times, as well as more coordination of the activities of the various stakeholders. If the planners make good use of their role in the project of resettlement, then the people affected and stakeholders of the project will not go through any kinds of inconvenience.