Minister expresses concern about unauthorised structures

Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, on Monday expressed concern about unauthorised structures in the Kumasi metropolis and said action should be taken to stop the practise.

He said it would be costly ''to sit aloof to see to these unwanted and unsightly development and later on have the unpleasant duty to demolish them.''

The Regional Minister, therefore, cautioned the Statutory Planning Committee of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to desist ''from actions or inactions that would be costly in the future.''

Addressing a meeting of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Boafo said there was the need for a ''comprehensive and practical use of the building regulations'' for the metropolis to solve the problem of unauthorised structures.

He urged the assembly members to unite and co-operate with the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) to draw up workable strategies to reduce poverty and eradicate disease and create wealth.

''All efforts must therefore, be made by you to tap all resources available to implement your budgeted programmes which should be tailored towards poverty reduction and wealth creation.''

Mr Boafo asked the KMA to tackle environmental and waste management issues, adding that the Waste Management Engineer should step up its routine inspection in the sub-metros to sensitise the people on the consequences of poor sanitation.

Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi MCE, said the KMA intended to start work on the construction of an office complex this year.

''The present administrative block of the KMA built decades ago has proved to be inadequate to the present needs of the administration. One billion cedis has been set aside in this year's budget for the first phase of the office complex which has been on the drawing board for over 10 years.''

Touching on the finances of the KMA, the MCE said some improvements have been made with internally generated revenue increasing from 3.6 billion cedis to seven billion cedis in 2001.

He said the figure for the year 2002 was estimated at 13 billion cedis and that though the performance shows that "we have been able to quadruple our annual revenue over the past two years the improvement in revenue generation capabilities of the assembly should be the major pre-occupation of all this year".