Elmina SSNIT flats occupants in limbo

About 12 aggrieved occupants of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Workers’ Housing Estate at Elmina, have appealed to the Trust, to as a matter of urgency, return their rehabilitated flats to them immediately, to save them from the traumatic experiences they were going through in seeking alternative accommodation.

According to them, they were fed up with the huge rent advances they were paying for the past two years to other landlords.

The occupants of Block five (5) of the SSNIT Flats are admonishing the authorities of SSNIT to act quickly to save them from further agony as they had ran out of patience, and could no longer cope with the over two years wait for their flats to be rehabilitated

A victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that she bought the flat outright from SSNIT in 1995 as an employee of a public institution.

However, the occupants after some years detected serious cracks all over, resulting in serious leakages any time it rained

According to her, the Head of the SSNIT Flats Residents’ Association informed the officials of SSNIT of the issue and they responded quickly, after a meeting with the Residents’ Association.

He said on February 11, 2013, the affected occupants were served with quit notices for immediate rehabilitation works to be carried out on the building.

The source further alleged that a collective request agreed by the affected occupants for SSNIT to extend their stay and also assist them with financial support for alternative accommodation was turned down, and so they had to look for money to pay for rent advances themselves.

The GNA, on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 visited the four-storey Block site, and detected deep cracks both at the front and back of the building and other structural defects running from the bottom floor to the top, but there was no contractor on site for the rehabilitation works.