Town and Country Department to solve flood problem

Accra, July 29, GNA - Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, on Wednesday tasked the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD), to submit a proposal on how to solve some of the nation's socio-economic challenges like floods and the emerging slums in the cities.

"Our cities are gradually becoming slumps and dangerous to live in due to the recent floods. Until the TCPD develop effective mechanisms to intensify its activities on managing and planning the about 47, 800 settlement areas in the country, the problem would still persist," she said.

The Minister said this during an interaction with management of TCPD as part of a familiarisation visit to departments under her ministry.

She charged the department to devise punitive measures to deal with officers who issue illegal permits or delay in giving out building permits.

"Let the proposal have a resolution that any body who goes for site inspection and gives permit to people who don't deserve it should be surcharged to bring sanity and also serve as a deterrent to others. Every district should have a well furnished office with qualified professional planers to work there," Ms Ayittey said. She hinted that as part of effort to enhance the operations of TCPD, a six-member advisory committee had been set up to develop effective and efficient planning schemes for the nation's towns and capital cities.

She said the key responsibilities of the committee would include, re-positioning of TCPD as the engine-room for leadership in integration development, ensuring inclusive and stakeholders participation in the planning process and staff promotion and recruitment based on merit. Ms Ayittey said: "The committee will help identify strategies for interventions in at least the key urban growth centres of Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast and Sekondi-Takoradi over a four-year period. "It will also ensure that planning and management of towns and cities gain prominence in public dialogue and take its rightful place in the national economic agenda". She said the committee would ensure the active participation of the private sector and other professional bodies in the management of urban centres.

Mr Kwadwo Baffour-Asare, Acting Director of the TCPD said some of the major problems engulfing the department were lack of logistics, inadequate staffing and finance. He said only half of the department's 70 offices nationwide had computers. Mr Baffour-Asare said TCPD lacked skilled professional planners and technical assistance to man the few officers in the country.