AESDA made part payment for low cost houses for workers

The Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly (AESDA) has asked the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Environment to deduct twenty percent of its Common Fund towards the purchase of Low Cost houses in the town for its workers and those of decentralized Agencies and government departments.

Mr. Solomon Abbam Quaye, District Chief Executive for the area, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Winneba on Thursday.

He said the Assembly has not abandoned the idea of buying the houses because it took the decision in the interest of workers.

According to him nine of the fourteen occupants who were either on pension or transfer from the district have taken the Assembly to court over the purchase of the houses.

"The occupants based their decision to purchase the houses on the 2004 budget statement that stated that the government has decided to sell all Low Cost houses to sitting occupants".

The DCE stated that presently those staying in Low Cost houses in Winneba were not sitting occupants but the "District Assembly who allocated the houses to them is the sitting occupant".

Mr. Abbam Quaye said because of accommodation problems in Winneba the District Assembly has decided to buy all the houses for workers to alleviate accommodation problems they face, when the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning announced the government intention to sell out the houses.

It is therefore very surprising that some individuals who are not workers of the Assembly and are even on transfer or pension were forcing their way to buy them instead of the district assembly or their respective government departments, he said.

The DCE remarked, "It is when the Assembly or their Departments have refused buying them that individual tenants could be considered; if those who occupied them first bought them, they would not have got some place to stay now."

Mr. Abbam Quaye said the people who are litigating over the purchase of the Low Cost houses who are on transfer to other districts have been given government buildings but have not vacated the one they were staying in Winneba to give way for new officers transferred to replace them.

The DEC said this situation was not only creating accommodation problems for the new officers but also affecting productivity in the district as most of the workers stay outside Winneba and come to work daily, adding that they sometime reported to work late due to transportation difficulties.