Road Ministry demolishes illegal buildings at Airport
Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has caused the arrest of three foreigners Managers of KASS Plus Company Limited, for constructing a storey-building at Airport residential area without permit.
The frontage of the building fenced with aluminum sheets, which they extended into the main road beside the Association International School, was also demolished with a caterpillar under the directive of the Ministry.
The uncompleted building was supposedly a 22-floor-storey hotel and a supermarket.
The Minister in an interview with the media said the construction work posed a threat to the people living in the area and pedestrians, especially school children and also caused huge traffic jam at the area in the evenings.
Mr Amoako-Atta said the owners would be taken to the Bureau of National Investigations and prosecuted for destroying public property for the law to take its rightful place.
An individual or company involved in the construction of the building, he said, would be dealt with appropriately.
“Their claim to have a permit cannot be true as I have been told that they don’t have a permit, we are going to investigate it and that is why I have ordered their arrest and possible prosecution and if there is any official, who might have compromised his position for money, that person will also be held accountable,” he said.
He cautioned public officials at various governmental departments and agencies to be careful in their operations and always prioritise protecting national pride to their personal gains.
The Minister pledged to pull down other buildings or structures that were extended into road reservations or encroached on the road corridor.
The country for years, he said, worked with disciplined and law abiding foreigners who invested in businesses in Ghana and they were welcomed.
“However, if we don’t deal with such indiscipline ones like these, tomorrow they will go and stand somewhere and say Ghanaians are in my pocket, and when you give them even $1,000.00, you can do whatever you want. Is money everything? We will not allow that,” Mr Amoako-Atta said.
Some residents of the area, who were pleased with the action taken by the Minister expressed gratitude to him.
Some of them told the media that the Ayawaso Municipal Assembly gave the buildersd an order to stop work and reinstate the site to its previous state within eight weeks, but all to no avail.
“This construction work was in operation since June this year and the people have decided not to mind anybody in authority, so we commend the Minister for the bold steps taken. We even took them to court but all efforts proved futile” they said.
Source: GNA