Mfantseman Municipal Assembly to embark on massive demolition exercise

The Mfantseman Municipal Assembly will soon embark on a massive demolition exercise to ensure proper layout and bring sanity to the Municipality.

Mr Kenneth Essuman, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) who gave the hint, said the Assembly was seeking a court order to commence the exercise which would be done in collaboration with the security agencies and the Works Department of the Assembly.

The targeted areas would be Saltpond, Nankesedo, Ankaful and Mankessim and its surrounding communities where unauthorised structures had sprung up creating inconveniences.

Mr Essuman was speaking at a Town Hall meeting organised by the Parish Justice and Peace Committee (PJPC) of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly on Tuesday.

The meeting which was on the theme “Community Participation in Local Government for Rapid Development" formed part of the local government project initiated by the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference.

It was aimed at creating awareness to generate greater interest and participation in district level elections for massive community led developments.

The exercise, he said would concentrate on the demolition of structures that had been erected in waterlogged areas, buildings without permit as well as unauthorized structures and would be sustained by deploying a taskforce to patrol the areas to prevent the re-construction of such structures.

According to Mr. Essuman, the exercise formed part of the beautification programme initiated by the Assembly to give the Municipal capital a befitting facelift.

He said it was not politically motivated but aimed at ensuring that the right things were done to safeguard the safety of the general public against avoidable human disasters such as floods.

The MCE appealed to the community guards and security personnel who would be deployed for the exercise to go about the duties professionally even when they were met with resistance from affected persons.

He urged all to comply with the laws of the Country as well as the Assembly’s bye-laws and pay their required taxes to enable the Assembly smoothly carry out its development agenda.

Mr. Samuel Kittah, the Municipal Planning Officer explained that a week would be used to earmark the unauthorised buildings, kiosk and structures.

He said owners without permit would be given a month’s ultimatum to regularise their operations.