Accra Metro taskforce demolishes structures without permit

A combined team of Police, Military and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Taskforce on Friday began a demolishing 18 structures built without permit at Shiashie, near the East Legon.

Mr Joseph Okine, Head of AMA Taskforce and Acting Security Co-ordinator said the exercise followed the flouting of AMA's regulations by the developers. He said the areas had been demarcated for the construction of offices for the Judicial Services, Police Station, Fire Service Station and banks among other social amenities.

Mr Okine said the developers were given a time frame to stop work and to remove the fence walls since 2 February 2002 but some refused to follow the instructions. He said the exercise, which was going to be a continuous one throughout the Metropolis was, therefore, an enforcement of the laws of the AMA to let the people know that it was important for them to obtain a building permit whenever they wanted to develop an area.

Mr Okine said, even though, some of the owners of the structures were around when the exercise began none of them showed any reaction. One of the caretakers, who did not want to talk at first when the GNA approached him, accepted the fact that they did not obtain permit before putting up the walls.

He said the structures belonged to his brother, one Thomas Osei and his friends, who were outside the country. Another caretaker, Seth Kwame Brefo said the land belonged to the government but was later released to the owners, who also sold it to them.

He said before developing the land they decided to obtain permit from the Town and Country Planning but up till now they had not been given the permit with reasons that they were still processing the forms and so they decided to begin building without the permit, however, when the were notified by AMA to stop work they stopped.