TDC renders over 100 people homeless.

Santeo-Kanawu, April 20, GNA -- Over hundred residents of Santeo-Kanawu near Ashaiman in the Tema municipality have been rendered homeless due to a demolition exercise carried out by the Tema Development Cooperation (TDC) last month.

The displaced residents who still have some of their properties under trees while the rest were buried under the debris have no option than to use the classrooms of Agape Preparatory School and the auditorium of a mosque as their sleeping places for the night. "From the time of the demolition, my three children and I have been doing everything under this tree during the day and sleep in the mosque at night" a displaced woman told journalists who visited the place.

According to them, TDC did not issue any warning before demolishing the buildings numbering about 50 stating, "we were not given any notice, all we knew was our houses were being demolished during the dawn of March 23 this year."

The victims alleged that, TDC, having sold about 332 hectares of the land to Trasaaco to develop into estates, embarked on the second demolition of the houses adding that, the first demolition which occurred in February affected about 30 houses.

Nii Okuteh Quashie, Chief of Santeo-Kanawu indicated that, the lands belonging to the Santeo stool was acquired by government in the Nkrumah regime for farming purposes but was now being sold by the farmers and TDC for residential purposes.

He said for about four years now, the elders of the stool have written to TDC to release their lands to them as the purpose for which the land was given to the government has been abused. He added that, "we the owners of the land cannot sit down while other people sell the land; we therefore sold the land to those whose houses have been demolished by TDC".

Nii Quarshie said TDC should have discussed with the owners of the land their decision to use the land for residential purposes instead

using it for farming. He appealed to the government to intervene in the manner TDC demolishes houses without notice and called for the release of the lands to the stool.

In a telephone contact by the Ghana News Agency, Mr Samuel Abakah, TDC Public Relations Officer, debunked the claim by the chief that notice was not given before the demolition exercise. He claimed that the task force warned them several times through their public address system and finally demolished the houses as their normal routine work.

The PRO explained that the land falls within TDC government acquisition area, indicating that, "it is our land bank which is earmarked for other future development", therefore those whose houses were demolished have encroached on it.