The Ga Central Municipal Assembly has embarked on a demolition exercise to pull down all illegal structures erected on waterways in the area.
The exercise, led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Bashiru Mohammed Kamara, together with the assembly’s task force pulled unauthorised structures situated around Antieku, Centre Maria, Anyaa and its environs.
The MCE in an interview with the Ghanaian Times said the exercise followed directives from the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, instructing all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region to demolish all structures that caused flooding in the city.
He said it was to also pave way for the construction of drains within the municipality to allow free flow of water whenever it rained.
He indicated that the project which was awarded for construction during the former president, John Agyekum Kuffour’s era was long overdue, but with the intervention of the current government, it had been awarded to another contractor and work had to begin to allow free flow of water in the municipality.
Mr Kamara debunked allegation that the assembly did not notify the residents before the exercise, saying a prior notice was given three consecutive times whereas the team was deployed to mark all buildings that would be affected.
“I will call it a contribution negligence among the residents because a prior notice was given to everyone. If they were not aware of how come some of them removed their structures before we started the exercise; You can’t take the law into your own hands, so what we are saying is any unauthorised structure, beit kiosk, building or anything, once it is situated along the rains or unauthorised place, it will be demolished,” he stated.
Mr Kamara advised that residents seek permits from the assembly whenever they wanted to build or mount structures to prevent further occurrences.
The Ghanaian Times in an interview with some of the affected residents complained that the assembly gave a short notice which they couldn’t have relocated within the stipulated time.
Madam Serwaa, whose building was affected, said, “I came to rent the building February this year and I came in March but I travelled because I didn’t know such an exercise was going to be embarked until my landlord just called me this morning to come for my things”.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
