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Henry Quartey (middle) speaking to journalists

THE GREATER Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has carried out a major demolition and decongestion exercise in his constituency as part of efforts to rid the area of filth and unauthorised structures.

The minister, on Monday morning, led a team from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) together with officials from the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly (ACMA) task force to various parts of the Ayawaso Central Constituency in Accra where they demolished structures built either along water ways or on unauthorised lands.

Choked drains, which normally contributed to flooding and other insanitary conditions in the area, were also desilted in an attempt to prevent further floods and allow for easy flow of water.

The exercise, being carried out in line with the grand “Let’s Make Accra Work” project being spearheaded by the Regional Minister ensured that people, including traders operating on the pavements in the area were moved and the areas cleared of filth.

Many people had accused the Regional Minister of failing to carry out decongestion and demolition exercises in his own constituency as he had been doing in other constituencies in the region.

At Mallam Atta Market

The team first visited the Mallam Atta Market where containers owned by some individuals and planted right by the edge of the road were removed.

It was discovered that, some individuals had constructed a makeshift pavement on the drains along the road on which they had erected their stalls.

These stalls had taken a portion of the road thereby causing vehicular traffic and unwarranted nuisance to both motorists and pedestrians as they were left with no option that to squeeze themselves through the little space left.

These stalls, at the instruction of the Regional Minister, were however swiftly removed.

Mohammed Quaye, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso Central, said the situation at the Mallam Atta Market is one that demands consistent policing of the place.

“When we leave and don’t return here after some time, they may return and soon we will be seeing filth all over again as if for thousand years we don’t clean the gutters.But this is something we’ve been doing several times,” he bemoaned.

In addressing the situation, he counselled that “prosecution must be intensified in order to curtail the menace of filth in the community.”

At Kokomlemle

The team then moved to a private property at Kokomlemle near the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) where the owner was believed to dispose off liquid waste from the house into the streets.

At the time of arrival, there was no person at home but the minister charged the ACMA Chief Executive, Mohammed Quaye and his team to ensure the arrest and consequent prosecution of the owner for causing unlawful damage to government property and causing danger to other road users.

Panaman Basic School

At about 3:20pm, the team arrived at the Panaman Basic School also within Kokomlemle where it was discovered that some persons had erected unauthorised structures behind the school.

Notably visible was a structure believed to be a drinking spot, which was still under construction and nearing its completion, right behind the school.

Near Clash

At the instruction of the Regional Minister, the ACMA task force proceeded to demolish the structure.

While at it, a gentleman, whose name was given as Nii Darko and believed to be the owner of the facility arrived on a motorbike to stop the task force from proceeding with their task.

This met the wrath of the minister who charged at him and intensified his resolve to pull it down.

The minister later explained to journalists that the said land was a government property and that his office was lobbying to have the school renovated and expanded.

He said the existence of the facility poses a threat to the lives and well-being of the pupils, teachers and people around.

The gentleman later returned to plead with the minister for forgiveness upon advice by some traditional leaders.

Alajo Church

The team then visited Alajo where a building believed to be a church was under construction.

Again, at the instruction of the minister, engineers proceeded to demolish it.

The church, known as the Salvation of Yahweh Ministry, was being put up right on the edge of the main Alajo drain.

The minister, told journalists, after Ghana recorded an incident where a church collapsed on congregants, there was the need to demolish that particular structure as it did not also meet the needed standards.

The minister disclosed that his outfit had served notices to people building and having structures at unauthorised places severally but they all fell on deaf ears hence the move to demolish them.

Kokomlemle Again

The Regional Minister and his team in a shocking move returned to the private property at Kokomlemle near the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC).

This time around, they met a lady who was believed to be the owner.

The minister showed her on his phone, a video of waste water coming out of the house unto the streets.

The lady admitted responsibility but denied the item was waste water.

In a brief exchange with the minister, the ACMA Sanitation Task Force served the lady a notice and took her details for onward action by prosecutors at the instruction of the minister.

At the end of the assignment, the Regional Minister admitted that, “It’s a herculean task. The indiscipline has been going on for so many years. It’s not going to take us a day to overturn the current situation but we will continue it.”

By Nii Adjei Mensahfio