Bad Blood At TMA, MP Lashes Out at Top Men

THE SAYING that when the dumb begins to talk, then strange things are about to happen cannot be taken for granted.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, Honourable Emmanuel K. Teye, is known to be a doer rather than a talker but he seemed to be combining the two now.

The MP called on the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) to see to the welfare of the people in their municipality.

Hon. Teye, who met with staff of the Ashaiman sub-office of the TMA, said it is unfortunate that the once neat harbour city is losing the battle against refuse under the very nose of people who are paid to superintend waste management of the assembly.

The soft-spoken parliamentarian said a few months ago, Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Hon. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, paid an unannounced visit to some parts of the Tema municipality.

The minister went to the Kwashiagyuaso at the Community one market and expressed dismay at the presence of uncollected refuse piled up for days in the middle of the market.

At Ashaiman, the minister found that even though there were attempts to dislodge refuse at (Mt. Afadjato), there was the need to engage the services of other heavy equipment.

Following that, the assembly reportedly brought in heavy equipment to assist in the exercise. Having done the job, the TMA was charged ?44 million but up to date, the assembly has refused to pay.

The MP reportedly reminded the TMA of the bill, but to his surprise the Co-ordinating Director refused to effect payment; rather, he was directed to use his share of the MP's common fund to settle the bill.

According to him, the TMA's waste management's division seems to be overwhelmed by the insanitary conditions prevailing in the municipality. The division has turned a blind eye to reports of epidemic threats in some parts of the municipality.

He wondered if people in responsible positions at the TMA charged with handling certain key areas can not wake up from their slumber.

The Tema Municipal Assembly's office was visited for their reaction to the allegation of refusal to pay the ?44 million due the contractors but the Municipal Chief Executive was in a marathon meeting.

However, a source chose to the Finance Department of the Assembly who want to remain anonymous admitted that tension is building between these co-ordinating director, Alhaji Husein, and the Member of Parliament over the payment of the amount.

According to the source, the job should have been okayed before its execution but this was not the case. On the insanitary condition that is swallowing Tema, the highly placed source intimated that officials of the waste management department are immuned to criticism.

He cited the threat of epidemic to the Ghana Water Company's Booster station at Ashaiman. Personally, the assembly source who also seems to be fed up with the developments, walked the Chronicle to the immediate gutters bordering the forecourts of the assembly which surprisingly are breeding mosquitoes to the blind side of officials.

Information gathered by the Chronicle has it that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) whose attention has been drawn to the threat open defecating is causing to the reservoir have also turned deaf ears to the issue.

The Chronicle's enquiry uncovered that there is lukewarm attitude towards almost everything to the extent that an instruction given by Hon. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu to the TMA to connect electricity supply to the offices of the TMA at Ashaiman is also ignored.

It will be recalled that officials of the TMA, led by the co-ordinating director, stormed the studios of a local FM station to deny completely a news item on insanitary conditions in the municipality.