Anti-Slum C'ttee Formed In Tema

Some members of the Anti-Slum committee standing

A TWELVE member committee has been inaugurated by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to halt the sprouting of unauthorised structures which has defaced Tema, the once well planned city in West Africa.

The committee was made up of representatives from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Navy, Tema Metro Town and Country Planning, Metro Works Engineer, Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), including the Tema Mayor, Mr. Isaac Ashai Odamtten and his Coordinating Director, Mr. Felix Banduah.

They were mandated to see to the removal of all unauthorised structures, especially on the greenbelt areas and curtail the haphazard nature buildings are springing up in the metropolis.

Speaking during the induction, Emmanuel Adjei Annan, a Member of the Council of State described Tema as a community 'descending to the gutters' as result of the untidy sitting of containers and wooden structures in parts of the city.

'Today, Tema is being described internationally as a big slum and this should be a source of worry to all of us here,' he intoned.

He lamented about the indiscriminate sales of land at the greenbelt area in Tema which was created to purify the atmosphere of the poisonous gases being emitted from the numerous industries sited in the city, to protect the health of the residents.

'What do we see today, Tema Development Corporation(TDC) which is supposed to be the planner is giving out the greenbelt to people; they cut down the trees to build houses, structures, shopping mall and what have you. And the TMA, which is now the planning authority also gives out permits without considering the health of the residents. This is very serious, and if we don't stop this within the next decade, no human being can leave in Tema,' he wailed.

The Former Mayor of Tema believed that it is time for action to be taken to avert any looming calamity.

He therefore tasked the members of the committee to stand firm to ensure that the right things are done; charging the building inspectors not to compromise, believing that with the involvement of the security agencies, discipline would be restored in Tema.

'We encourage you all to ensure the removal of all unauthorised structures before we enter 2016,' he urged them.

The Tema Mayor, Mr. Odamtten congratulated the committee members and charged them to perform their duties without fear or favour.

From Vincent Kubi, Tema