Martin Adjei Mensah Korsa (middle) with EKMA MCE (left)
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has warned that it will demolish all illegal structures erected on government lands in the Western Region.
The demolishing exercise is expected to create space for proper development activities and to ensure the free flow of water when it rains, to prevent flooding.
A Deputy Minister for Local Government, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsa stated this when he visited an encroached school land in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly in the region.
According to the Minister, the government is unhappy that private developers have taken over the land belonging to the Community Development and Vocational Institute in the Municipality at the expense of the expansion of the institution.
In an interview with journalists after touring the area as part of his two-day working visit to the region, Mr. Adjei Mensah Korsa said interactions he had with some of the private developers revealed that a former Mayor of Sekondi -Takoradi sold the land to them.
He said he gathered that the municipal assembly made several attempts to stop the encroachers from developing the area but they bulldozed their way out.
“So it is not that the assembly sat aloof and watched the private developers to build on government land”.
“We will go back to Accra and mobilize forces and return to demolish all the structures erected on the institution’s land”, he stressed.
For his part, the Municipal Chief Executive for EKMA, Kojo Acquah said none of the buildings on the institution’s land had permits from the assembly.
“This is because before the assembly will issue permits to land developers, we will send the application to the Lands Commission to verify whether the person can go ahead with his or her project “, he added.
He said he was also informed that it was a former Mayor of Sekondi -Takoradi, Kobina Pra Annan also called ‘Mallon’ who sold the land to them after leaving office.
“So I officially invited the former Mayor who indicated that the area belonged to his family of which he is the secretary”.
“The former Mayor brought a document indicating that the area has been redesigned. But when we cross-checked from the Lands Commission they denied the former mayor’s assertion”, he noted.
He also maintained that the illegal structures would be pulled down as is being done in the Greater Accra Region.
Some of the illegal structures on government lands
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi