SSNIT to demolish buildings on its Dunkunah Property

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) would soon begin a demolishing exercise to remove encroachers on its 205.5 hectares at Dunkunah on the Winneba road.

The exercise is to pave the way for the development of the site by SSNIT. Osei Bimpong, Public Affairs Director of SSNIT, who briefed the press after a tour of the Property on Thursday, said the demolishing of buildings especially on road and waterways would not be negotiable.

However, owners of those on actual plots would be made to pay the market value of the plot including penalties if they wished to stay. The site to be developed into real housing estates of single and multi storey buildings has the construction of primary infrastructure including roads, pipe borne water and power distribution completed.

Bimpong said in spite of the clearly defined boundaries with SSNIT inscriptions, about 200 encroachers had invaded the site, destroying boundary pillars and electric cables.

He said the operation of land guards on the property had become a major problem confronting the security men, four of whom were seriously wounded recently by land guards while they were going about their normal duties.

Bimpong said several warnings by the SSNIT Taskforce have not deterred the encroachers. He said SSNIT had paid 1.6 billion cedis for the land through the High Court as compensation to the landowners after a 99-year lease dated November 1, 1995 by the government of Ghana acting through the Lands Commission.

The landowners include the James Town, Aplaku, Bortianor and Weija Stools. After a while SSNIT noticed encroachment on the land and sought the assistance of the Police Service and the Ministry of Land and Mineral Resources to eject them.

In November 2002, the Minister of Land and Natural Resources met all the stakeholders on the land and resolved the issue yet the problem had worsened not only by encroachers but also those engaged in stone quarrying.

Bimpong said though SSNIT intended to sell part of the property to the general public in the future, the chiefs to whom compensation had already been paid, had gone behind them to sell part of the land.

Nii Lante Bruce, a Supervisor of a building being erected, said he would not consent to the demolishing of the building alleging that he paid money to some of the SSNIT Officials, who came to inspect the place.

He said he was ready to go to court.