Koforidua Melcom building poses no danger - Fire Officer

The Eastern Regional Fire Safety Officer, Mr Ato Korsah, has stated that the Koforidua Melcom shop is in good condition and poses no safety threat to the general public.

He was reacting to a news story reported by an Accra FM station which alleged that the building is a security threat.

Mr Korsah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Koforidua that the building had no cracks or defects whatsoever to be described as a threat to the numerous customers and the general public who conduct business daily at the premises.

According to the safety officer, the building had satisfied all the safety requirements per the law, adding that personnel from his outfit had conducted a thorough check on it and were satisfied that the building is safe.

He said the team through its routine checks found out that the emergency exit of the building had been blocked, whiles the fire extinguishers were also not visible to be easily accessed in the event of a fire outbreak, but added they had ensured that those mistakes were corrected.

It would be recalled that an Accra radio station last Tuesday carried a report that the Melcom building in Koforidua was full of cracks and therefore posed a threat to the public and also alleged that the building belonged to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Mr Alex Asamoah.

The report alleged that because the building belonged to the MCE he had ignored a call by the Fire Service and other regulatory bodies to close the shop down or remedy the situation whiles the management of Melcom was also reluctant to close down the shop because of the fear of losing profit and customers.

When GNA contacted the MCE, he confirmed that the building really belonged to his family but added that as a lawful citizen, he would at no point toy with the lives of Ghanaians, adding that if the building had been declared a deathtrap, he would have ensured that the right thing was done.

The MCE explained that following the tragic collapse of one of the Melcom buildings in Accra, he had always ensured that the engineers of the Assembly conducted routine checks on such buildings and wondered where the radio station got the report from.

The MCE called on journalists to desist from using the media to tarnish the hard won reputation of people holding public positions but should rather concentrate on issues that would help create a better Ghana for all.

He also called on the Ghana Journalists Association to flush out people who hide behind journalism to tarnish the image of innocent persons.