GaDangme challenges sale of govt houses

THE GaDangme Council has described government?s policy to sell some of its bungalows to private developers as illegal and unconstitutional.

It said the policy is in clear violation of the Constitution and the relevant laws regulating the acquisition and use of compulsorily acquired lands. A press release, issued by the Council in Accra yesterday, therefore, ser

ved notice that it had initiated legal processes in court to restrain the government from selling off GaDangme lands acquired compulsorily for public purposes and to recover possession of all such lands.

It also notified all persons, corporate and non-corporate bodies who have bought or have tendered to buy such buildings that they have done so or intend to do so at their own risk.

The release said investigations by the council have revealed that government has for sometime now implemented a policy of selling government bungalows to private real estate developers, private companies and individuals. It said investigations have further revealed that bids were opened for private individuals and bodies, both corporate and non-corporate to tender for the purchase of some of these government bungalows at prices that reflect the market value of their locations.

According to the release, the bungalows sold or earmarked for sale are situated mainly in the Cantonments, Airport, Ridge, Roman Ridge and Labone residential areas.

All these bungalows, it said, are located on compulsorily acquired lands, that is, lands acquired under the Public Lands Ordinance of 176 (Cap 134) for public services in the then Gold Coast.

It said meagre compensations were paid for some of such lands by the colonial government because they were compulsorily acquired for public purposes adding that ?the ordinance under which these lands were acquired enjoined government to use the land so acquired only for public purposes?.

The release said the 1992 Constitution enjoins government to return compulsorily acquired lands to their original owners when the lands are no longer required for the purposes for which they were acquired pointing out that landowners are then entitled to be given the option to reacquire the lands. It said the sale of the bungalows to private companies and individuals benefits only those private entities and not the general public.

?If therefore the government does not need government bungalows anymore, it should give the lands back to the original owners and not sell the bungalows.

?GaDangme interprets this flagrant violation of all these relevant laws as a public show of disregard for the welfare of the GaDangme people who have sacrificed so much of their land in the national interest,? the release added.