The Member of Parliament for Odododiodio constituency, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has threatened to sue the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) if it carries out its planned demolition exercise in Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra.
The AMA had served notice it will demolish illegal structures in the area to pave the way for some tomato sellers to play their trade.
[contextly_sidebar id=”OpPzp6fmimqGnRPPcMO8O38vSZq0kmSu”]Mr. Vanderpuye however argued that the AMA was only seeking to increase its revenue gains with the demolition.
“What the AMA wants to do is that they want to bully people to take their lands in order to sustain their revenue generation.”
He therefore advised the AMA to reconsider its decision and develop a entirely new strategy or face a lawsuit.
“I think the best thing the AMA can do is to see the owners of the land in Accra to secure land or use authority or get an executive power, do a compulsory acquisition, pay compensation and build a market, but the AMA will not do that. They just want to come in and say the land is government land. The first remedy open to me is legal action. It is possible we will be instituting legal action next week to stop the AMA from doing that.”
We’ll eject Agbogbloshie squatters despite protest – AMA
Authorities at the AMA have stated that they are unfazed by protests over the demolition exercise.
In a Citi News interview, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, said the assembly will not back down its decision despite the protests because it had given the squatters enough time to vacate the place.
“We have given them ample time to ensure that they move their belongings and failure to do so we will be forced to eject them. They are not supposed to be there, and the assembly is not making any arrangement to relocate them to any other place.”
The exercise, when embarked upon, will affect over 1000 structures along the railway line, spanning from the Accra Breweries Company to the Agbogbloshie station in Accra.
A similar exercise conducted at Old Fadama in 2015, led to the destruction of about 1000 structures and a subsequent riot.
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By: Marian Ansah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
