Cape Coast Teaching Hospital takes measures to reclaim encroached lands

By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA Cape Coast, March 29, GNA - Management of Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) in the Central Region has issued a 21-day ultimatum to encroachers of its land to stop forthwith any development as they do so at their own risk.

It has therefore asked the encroachers to contact the Hospital authorities with immediate effect for the necessary arrangement or risk having their properties demolished as the process to demolish the illegal structures on the Hospital's land has begun.

Developers have encroached portions of the Hospital's land covering about 33 acres, thereby threatening future expansion of the Hospital.

A number of completed buildings including churches have sprung up at the site, while others were at various stages of completion.

It is believed that some family and opinion leaders in the Abura Community, where the Hospital is located, were selling part of the Hospital's 153-acre land, which had documents covering it to the encroachers.

Mr Kenneth Yao-Dablu, Deputy Director of Administration, who led a delegation including the Police and journalists to the site to issue the warning, expressed grave concerns at the extent of encroachment.

He said the action taken by the Hospital was upon the advice of the Attorney General's office of the Central Region in Cape Coast.

He said the site being encroached on was the only land available for future development and indicated that it would deny the Hospital of major development opportunities if not halted.

He said the Hospital land was acquired by the Government of Ghana through an Executive Instrument, (E.I 2002) for the construction of a hospital and other ancillary structures and that the Hospital have legal title to the land.

According to him, the originally acquired land was 200 acres but portions covering about 47 acres were gradually released to the Abura community by the Government due to consistent encroachment.

He urged families and individuals who had stake in the lands to avoid threatening the Hospital officials and act in accordance with the statutory provisions in the States Lands Act for their claims if eligible.

Meanwhile the Ebusuapanyin of Brempon Kwodwo Ebiradze Royal Family of Oguaa Abura, Nana Agyare Kotompo III claimed that the said land belonged to the family and not the Hospital.

According to him, the family had requested for a 33-acre land to be released to them.

He said the matter as to who was the true owner of the land was pending at the law court and therefore the action of the management of the Hospital constituted contempt.

When asked why he was still selling the land when he knew the case was before the law courts, he could not give any tangible reason.

Meanwhile the encroachers were seen busily working on the site. GNA