500 unauthorised housesto be demolished — Avoka

Page 15, Nov 20, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

MORE than 500 houses which have been built in unauthorised places in various parts of the Greater Accra Region are to be demolished by officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka, who made this known in Parliament yesterday, explained that the exercise was part of measures adopted by NADMO to prevent the perennial floods in Accra.
He was answering an urgent question filed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo North, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, who wanted to know what pragmatic measures had been put in place by NADMO to prevent the perennial Accra floods.
Mr Avoka mentioned Weija, Sakumono, Krowor, Tema, ????West Lagon??????, Nii Boi Town and Airport West as areas where the demolition exercise would take place.
He, however, gave assurance that where there was the need for re-engineering, it would be done to save affected buildings.
Meanwhile, Mr Avoka had given assurance that efforts were being made by NADMO to send more relief items to people who were affected by a recent rainstorm that hit Asonomaso, Kasaam and Aboaso in the Kwabre East Constituency of the Ashanti Region.
He gave the assurance in an answer to a question by the MP for the area, Mr Kofi Frimpong, who wanted to know measures put in place to alleviate the plight of the affected victims of the rainstorm.
The rainstorm destroyed and ripped off the roofing sheets of school buildings as well as private houses while about 1,809 persons were internally displaced.
Mr Avoka said NADMO, in collaboration with the district assembly, assessed the extent of damage after which the victims were assisted with 30 roofing sheets, 10 packets of roofing nails, 200 mattresses, 200 blankets, 10 bales of used clothing, 10 cartons of cooking oil and 30 bags of rice.
He explained, however, that the roofing sheets was mainly given to the affected schools and explained that efforts were being made to send relief items to the affected people.
Answering another question, Mr Avoka said that the Police Service would need 9,000 single bedrooms and 225 four-storey units, which required an amount of GH$90 million to solve its accommodation problem.
He said the ministry had instituted measures to complete some of the abandoned accommodation projects to alleviate the plight of the Police Service.