Correspondence from Northern Region

Over a hundred 100 houses within three communities have been earmarked to be demolished to pave way for the construction of a ring road in the Tamale metropolis.

The affected communities include; Duhanna yili, Changli, and Bulpiela.

GhanaWeb's visit to some of the affected communities whose houses were earlier marked for the demolition observed that, almost all the affected houses had evacuated and with some still unroofing their buildings.

Speaking to some of the residents who have lost their entire homes to the road, they noted they were not given ample time to evacuate, adding that the time given was not enough for them to be able to relocate or build a new house.

One of the affected communities, Duhanna Yili, where the marking was still ongoing, some of the residents claimed the exercise was being reduced to politics, alleging that, some houses had been left off the hook because of their affiliation to the governing NPP, hence diverting the road to spare those houses from been affected.

“They are dodging some houses, let me frankly tell you that, it is some houses that they are dodging which is not fair. Because where the road is curving, that is not where they are curving it." Said Afa Jato, a resident of Duhanna Yili.

Regional Director of Survey Department, Mr. Jojo Adu - Hanson, debunked the claims by some of the residents that, the position of the road was been diverted.

“…for now, no road has been diverted, what we are working with is the official working document of the Assembly, a working document the Assembly approved some time years pass and the position of the road remains one and that's what we are here to determined."

He added that, people should know that nobody is using his or her imagination to determine the position of the road, “we are here to implement what has been approved by the Assembly in the nineteen's(19s)."

He also made it clear that, the plan that is being used in determining the position of the road is something that was done in the nineteen's(19s) and every building in existence then were all surveyed and shown on the map and it was incorporated into the layout scheme, and that those buildings which were in existence then will not be affected.

“It is after the planning scheme was passed and became a working document, that is when all these houses sprang up, and many of them that they are sitting on the road knows that they are sitting on a road," he said.

He also stressed that, nobody will be compensated, and that compensation will only be given to those whose houses were outside the road.

“…what we are doing now is translating what is on the layout to the ground, hence the houses which are being affected were those built after the original plan, and such persons should not expect any compensation."

Mr. Jojoe however urged people to always try to do background checking from Lands Commission and the Assembly whenever they are buying plots or houses in other to avoid future losses.

Meanwhile, the Assemble man of one of the affected communities, Changli, Hon. Ibrahim assured the people that what they are doing now is for the interest of the community and therefore pleaded with the people to remain calm so that the road can be constructed.