MCE warns landlords who defy basic building rules

Mr. Vincent Oppong-Asamoah, the Dormaa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has warned landlords who defied basic building rules in the municipality that they risked being prosecuted if they did not change their attitude.

Mr. Oppong-Asamoah gave the warning in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday at Dormaa-Ahenkro during which he expressed condolence to the family of an eight-year-old boy who was drowned in an abandoned cesspit tank near a house at Dormaa-Ahenkro a fortnight ago.

A near similar incident occurred at Kofiasua near Dormaa-Ahenkro but the five-year-old boy was rescued by the Dormaa Fire Service staff as unfortunate and partially blamable on malicious landlords who had no concern for the vulnerable in their communities.

“Henceforth, the Assembly’s social services sub-committee would work in close collaboration with the Town Planning Office and the Municipal Environmental Health Office as well as Assembly members to ensure timely identification of such ‘death traps’ for redress to prevent unnecessary harm to precious human lives”, the MCE stressed.

He welcomed the recent call from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on government to consider introducing disaster as an examinable subject into the schools curricula, adding, the study of the subject in schools would serve as an early warning tool in the hands of communities.

He appealed to traditional leaders, parents, assembly and unit committee members to keep their eyes on what happens in their areas of jurisdiction to ensure that ‘traps’ were not set to destroy the lives of the young ones who would take up the mantle of leadership tomorrow.

The MCE also cautioned parents and guardians against reckless handling of agro-chemicals including weedicides as they could pose danger to adventurous children at home.

Source: GNA