Police Appeals To Kuntunse Protesters Over Chinese Factory

Police have met residents of Kutunse in the Ga West Municipality in a bid to persuade them to postpone their intended demonstration.

The residents of Korleman City, an estate in the area, have raised concerns about how the activities of the company were affecting them.

They had planned to demonstrate on Saturday against what they describe as unlawful operations of Happy Sunshine, a tomato factory owned by Chinese nationals.

The tomato factory operates in the heart of a residential area resulting in massive environmental pollution.

Despite an order from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the company to shut down and relocate, the factory continues to operate, with the tacit support of the Assembly.

The residents say the protest is intended to get the appropriate authorities to act.

One resident, who expressed his frustration said: “Do you know the number of containers they brought? About ten articulated trucks, and what happens is that, even if you check with the District Assembly bye-laws, they have breached everything. That road is supposed to take us to the estate, but they have blocked that road.”

The EPA shut down the facility after a series of Citi News reports had revealed that the company was operating illegally in the residential area.

A notice of closure was posted on the doors and walls of the factory after officials of the EPA, accompanied by the Police went to the premises.

However, despite the order from the EPA and complaints from the residents, the factory has reopened and is operating again, with the support of the Ga West Municipal Assembly led by the District Chief Executive, Clement Wilkinson.

This has prompted the residents to threaten a suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the owners of the facility as well as the Municipal Assembly.

Relocation
The EPA had earlier held a closed-door meeting between management of the factory where the company was directed to move its operations to an industrial area, as their current location has not been zoned for such activities.

The Principal Programmes Officer at the Accra Regional office of the EPA, Sophia Vanderpuye, who confirmed the directive to Citi News on Tuesday, said: “At the meeting, it was made very clear to them that the site where they are operating is not appropriate for the kind of manufacturing activity that is going on there is wrong. We had got evidence of the thick smoke that was emanating from their chimneys into the atmosphere, and with the accompanying noise issues. Based on these, they were made to understand that the EPA cannot permit such an activity in a predominately residential area so they have to relocate.”

“They must find an appropriate location, most preferably, an industrial area where they can conveniently produce. The Assemblies have already zoned the areas.”

The tomato factory was fined GHc 15,000 by the EPA in August 2017 for operating illegally, while the company was also ordered to halt any form of production.

However, the management of the factory violated that order and resumed full production in November.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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