The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has indicated that a committee has been instituted to engage traditional authorities and owners of buildings as part of the three phases to demolish illegal structures at the Sakumo Ramsar site.
The Deputy Sector Minster, Benito Owusu-Bio says the committee’s mandate will be based on a reconnaissance done by officers from the Lands Commission.
Government in October last year began an exercise to take inventory of all unlawfully erected buildings in the core zone of the Sakumo Ramsar site for onward demolition.
This followed the pulling down of some fence walls in the area.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Owusu-Bio noted that the committee is expected to finish its work in the next two weeks.
“A Committee chaired by a technical director for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources who will be reporting to my good self and I will forward the report to the Minister. First of all, we will be visiting the site to see how we can bring everybody on board. And also to see how we and the traditional authorities can engage within two weeks for them to report to us so that we take it from them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey urged the traditional leaders in Nungua to ensure that they negotiate with building owners at the Ramsar site to avoid any court action.
“My humble appeal to the traditional council as we go through all this wahala, I pray we don’t end up in court. Please let the efforts that we are putting in yield results for the people of Nungua, not for us but for the youth you represent. My humble appeal to you is that when all is said and done, at your backyard, you try to do all the negotiations so that we don’t end up in court,” Greater Accra Regional Minister appealed.
The government in November made a U-turn on the demolition of unlawfully erected buildings in the core zone of the Sakumo Ramsar site.
The Greater Accra Regional Security Council was scheduled to demolish all structures on the Ramsar site after fence walls in the core zones of the site were earlier pulled down in October this year.
A team was tasked to take an inventory of the number of houses illegally constructed on the Sakumo Ramsar site to allow for the second phase of the demolition.
