Workers of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have downplayed assurances by the government to stop private developers from encroaching on their lands.
Staff at CSIR on August 31, 2020, protested the demolition of the council’s bungalow at Labone in Accra by an unknown private developer said to have received authorization from the Lands Commission.
The protest was halted upon the arrival of some state officials and security personnel.
The CSIR chapter of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), however, said it will not relent until the issue is resolved.
“We do not know where they had the authorization from. They claim they bought the land from the Osu stool and that is where they had the lease from but they have not shown it to us. The property doesn’t belong to them and so we have put security officers around to prevent them from taking the land,” Michael Amo-Gyasi, Chairman of the CSIR TUC noted.
The Minister for Environment Science and Technology (MESTI), Professor Kwabena Frimpong – Boateng in response to a question posed to him by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, Mr. James Klutse Avedzi concerning the issue at hand, said his outfit had commenced investigations into the case.
“CSIR property cannot be sold on the blind side of the sector Minister. Not even the President will do that because this is a democracy. We are going to get to the root of the issue,” he assured.
Chairman of the CSIR TUC, Michael Amo-Gyasi, in a Citi News, however, said his group would appreciate more action from the government than mere investigations.
“If it happens like this, the police pick up the issue, and then, we are back to square one. Like the Minister rightfully said, yes, he is aware of the issues and is helping us secure our lease on those lands. We welcome the Minister’s submission that investigations have begun but for how long will the police investigate and to what extent will that help us solve this?”
