Accra, Jan 30, - Residents of
Amanfrom-Ashieyie in the Greater Accra Region, have called on the government
to stop the Department of Urban Roads and Regimanuel Grey Limited from
demolishing their property.
According to the residents,
authorities must protect the rights of some of Ghana’s most vulnerable citizens
in order not to abuse their human rights.
Mr William Afful, a Resident of
Amanfrom -Ashieyie, speaking at a news conference in Accra, on behalf of his
colleagues said they were asked to stop work in 2009 by Regimanuel Grey Limited
for the 10.5 kilometre road construction leading to Kpone Akatamanso, Ashaiman
and its environs.
He said however, last year
residents were served letters by one Mr Asamoah from the Department of Urban
Roads instructing them to relocate; as their property were creating nuisance on
the edges of the road.
Mr Afful said residents observed
that the stretch of road under construction lead to Regimanuel estates, adding
that “we are also told the road is being constructed by government so how come
the equipment on the road have Regimanuel Grey Limited tags on them”.
He said till date authorities had
failed on several occasions to name the contractor working on the project and
issues concerning their compensation as stated in the letter had not been
addressed.
Mr Yaw Mensah, a Welder and
resident within the community also told the media that considering about 150
houses affected and the cost of compensation to be paid, it is important for
government to intervene and protect the rights of the vulnerable.
He said the area had been
surveyed several times by different surveyors with different route demarcations
and felt authorities were trying to have their way at the expense of residents’
interest.
“We were told this project is
being carried out by government so what right does Regimanuel have to ask us to
stop work. And as you can see most of the buildings here are uncompleted due to
the notice," he said.
Mr Mensah said the letters served
had no letter heads and they were therefore doubting the credibility of its
content and called on government to investigate the issue.
They appealed to government,
through the Ministry of Road and Highways to find out if government was indeed
involved in the demolition exercise.
Mr Mensah called on government to
come out clearly if it was involved with regards to the compensation terms
stated in the letter.
Madam Gladys Addo, a resident,
complained of the thick cloud of dust caused by huge trucks carrying materials
to the sites of Regimanuel estate even though authorities promised to address
it.
She said the dust was affecting
their health causing them to be constantly seeking funds for medication, whiles
the cloud of dust also settles on their cloths on laundry days and urged
government to protect their property.
GNA
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