C'ttee for modernizing Accra is a hoax

NDC plays down on president Kufuor?s development planning committee for Accra.

The NDC says the recent inauguration of a national capital planning committee by president Kufuor was a camouflage to cover the NPP?s failed attempt to win votes in the Odododiodio by-election.

NDC-MP, Enoch Teye Mensah, who made the comment, was referring to criticisms ahead of the by-election that the government had rolled out development projects in the constituency to win support.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mr. Mensah said the setting up of the national capital planning committee was unnecessary, as there already exist plans to develop the capital city.

?Last week we witnessed the hasty inauguration of a high powered 24 member national capital planning committee by the President.

The inescapable conclusion drawn is that the formation of the committee to create the impression that whatever happened at Odododiodio was indeed the vision of government to transform Accra into a modern city of international repute as reported in the Daily Graphic Friday September 2, 2005.

And presumably to send a signal to the residence of Accra not to use what happened in Odododiodio as a yardstick to judge what the NPP government was in store for the city,? he said.

Mr. E. T. Mensah rather suggested to government to rename the committee as the National Capital Planning and Implementation Oversight Committee, and maintaining just three critical ministers.

These are, the Ministers for Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, Local Government and Rural Development who will remove any impediments in the committee?s work.

According to E.T Mensah, there have been two major development plans for Accra since independence and these are, the ?Accra Structure Plan? of 1958 designed by the CPP government and the 1992 ?Strategic Plan for Accra? by the PNDC/NDC governments.