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The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, has summoned Local Government Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda before the House to brief legislators on the demolition of Old Fadama which has sparked anger among the residents.
Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, however, is demanding that the Mayor of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije must also be hurled before the House to offer explanations on what transpired between the Assembly and the residents over the weekend.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, the Majority Leader argued that since the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is the body undertaking the exercise, it is only fair that its Chief Executive is made to directly answer questions on the decision to eject the residents.
“… We expect the authorities to be available like the Minister in charge of Local Government, the AMA Chief Executive and his directors to be available to hear from Parliament as to how these matters could be implemented,” he stressed.
Some MPs are particularly aggrieved with the demolition exercise and have questioned whether there was any level of planning before the demolition.
After the June 3rd floods which claimed over 150 lives, the President indicated that drastic measures will be taken to possibly reduce or totally prevent the perennial flooding of the capital.
It was then agreed that the Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon must be dredged and de-silted to allow the free flow of water.
That meant that thousands of the estimated 60,000 who have lived along the banks of the river and the lagoon for over 13 years had to be ejected and their structures demolished.
But after an incident-free demolition on Saturday, the residents were up and in arms on Monday, demanding to be resettled in the capital and be compensated.
The incident has generated controversy and mixed views over the merits or otherwise of the AMA’s actions and according to Alban Bagbin, it is only proper for Parliament to speak with the authorities on the best way to go about the exercise.
SOURCE: GHANAWEB