News:
February 7, 2014
Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho has set up a committee to investigate issues surrounding the demolishing of houses and structures at Adjei Kojo by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) a fortnight ago.
The team made up of the Works and Housing Committee, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Constitutional and Legal Committee, Land and Forestry Committee and former Ministers of Works and Housing have a month to report its findings to Parliament for the necessary action to be taken.
Rt. Hon. Speaker’s directive follows the Member of Parliament for Tema West, Irene Naa Torshie Addo delivering a statement in which she condemned the demolishing on the floor of the House on Thursday.
The exercise was undertaken with over 200 police and military men who pushed residents who were regarded as squatters and armed robbers out of their homes.
The MP stated that the mode of demolishing of the over 500 houses by the TDC where the affected residents were not even allowed to take away their personal effects could be described as inhuman and irresponsible.
Hon. Naa Toshie Addo added that the effect of the demolition exercise at Adjei Kojo cannot be quantified financially because it did not only displace people by making them look like refugees in their own country but it has shattered the dreams and aspirations of their children.
According to her the rationalisation for the use of force on the pretext that some of the residents were armed robbers is simply unfortunate and unacceptable because the 2000 residents of Adjei Kojo whose houses were demolished cannot be armed robbers.
“Children and adults now sleep in the open due to limited tents which makes them vulnerable to the bites of mosquitoes, snakes, and other insects,” she said.
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