From William N-lanjerborr Jalulah,
Bolgatanga
A FOURTEEN-member task force from the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly at the weekend embarked on a demolishing exercise to clear containers on the water ways and those under high tension areas along the Bolgatanga-Navrongo road.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Edward Ayagle Ayiriba, who led the taskforce, said containers which did not fall within the demolishing zone would be given a monthly renewal permit.
The taskforce was made up of some members of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, the Ghana Police Service, and Ghana Fire Service
According to the MCE, ‘all containers without permit have been given temporary permits, renewable at every six months, and for those who haven’t paid their monthly operational fees they will have to do so in addition to penalties; in this way it will bring sanity into the municipality’.
Meanwhile, some of the affected persons of the exercise who spoke to The Chronicle said they were not informed before the exercise was carried out. They contended that they only heard the announcement on the morning Friday and before they could go to open their containers, the demolishing had already begun.
One of them also lamented that he was having his bath when his sister called and informed him that the Fire Service officers were pulling down his container so he rushed there only to see them pulling his container.
Some of them also accused the assembly of frustrating their efforts to acquire permits to place their containers. ‘I have been at the assembly several times for permit but they keep on telling me they were yet to set a committee and since then anytime I go there they tell me to hold on’.
Parts of the municipality are prone to flooding during heavy rains and the assembly has vowed to avert this trend this year by ensuring that unauthorized structures are cleared on water ways. The most affected areas during heavy rains are Sawaba, Anglican area, Oka Block and Danweo towards Extee Gas Filling Station area.