Cape Coast Feb. 17, GNA_ The Cape Coast Municipal Assembly (CCMA) taskforce on Friday demolished more than 15 kiosks and other unauthorised structures located around the offices of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Cape Coast. Briefing the GNA about the exercise, Mr Guy Sillo, municipal coordinating director said the owners of the structures as well as squatters at the Nkanfoa taxi rank, also in the vicinity, had been given more than three months notice to leave, because they had no permit to be there.
According to him, in addition to the notices, the assembly also had announcements made on air, but the traders failed to comply, hence the action.
Mr Sillo explained that the land on which the structures have been erected, belonged to the ECG, which informed the assembly sometime last year, that it would be carrying out some expansion work, which involves the use of heavy machines and other equipment and wanted the structures moved to avoid any “disasters”. He warned that Friday’s exercise was the beginning of the demolitions of more unauthorised structures in the municipality and pointed out that with the region as the hobnob of tourism in the country, the CCMA would not allow such practices, particularly along ceremonial streets, “to spoil the beauty of the town”.
Mr Sillo, advised the affected traders against politicizing the exercise, and said it was carried out by the assembly’s planning committee, to beautify the town, as well as maintain law and order. He however, gave the assurance that the assembly would soon acquire land to resettle them, and expressed concern about the way people were putting up unauthorised structures in the municipality with “impunity”. Nana Arhin Sampson, spokesman for the affected traders admitted that the CCMA served them with notices to leave in December last year, but they appealed for an extension of time, since they not gotten a new site to move to.
He said last Friday, the CCMA, however posted notices of ejection again on their structures and they therefore went to the Deputy Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur and the Municipal Chief Executive Alhaji Muniru Arafat Nuhu, both of who assured them that they would be given more time to move, and they were therefore surprised at the assembly’s action.
He said what was most worrying, was the fact that, although the assembly claims that their structures are unauthorised, it collect taxes from them. He made a passionate appeal to the CCMA, and the regional coordinating council to provide them with a new site to move to, or allow them time to look for land.
Source: GhanaWeb
