The members of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority Workers Union (GCAAWU) have called on the government to rescind the decision to relocate evicted judges affected by the construction of the National Cathedral to Aviation lands.
According to them, the actions by individual encroachers and some government officials had the tendency of negatively affecting safety of flights within the aviation airspace.
The Spokesperson of the Union, Mr William Amoako, stated these at a press conference in Accra last Thursday to discuss the effect of the encroachment on the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority lands.
“Since we have been mandated by government to ensure the safety of flights, we will do all we can to achieve these for the people of Ghana and the international community in general. We will not sit down unconcerned and allow GCAA assets to be taken over by private and anonymous individuals for non aviation purposes,” he stated.
He said on November 8, 2019, management of GCAA informed staff that GCAA lands at Cantonments, La Wireless have been taken over by the government and demarcated for resettlement of judges affected by the building of the national cathedral and for private development.
Mr Amoako said staff occupying the land at La Wireless have been asked to vacate by the end of May this year.
Mr Amoako said the lands that have been acquired by the government for aviation purposes were often encroached by individuals for non-aviation purposes.
Mr Amoako said these have reduced significantly the size of land available for aviation related projects.
“The most worrying aspect of these land grabbing is that, successive governments, individuals in governments have over the years resorted to taking over these aviation lands without considering the effect and the impact it will have on the aviation industry in Ghana,” he added.
The Spokesperson of the Union said in 2008, the government took 30 acres out of 90 acres of the La TX lands to build the AU village and between 2014 and 2016, the government took over all 614 acres of the aviation land at La Nkwantanan, despite an earlier agreement with their management to preserve 250 acres for aviation purposes.
Mr Amoako on behalf of the Union demanded for the immediate removal of their board Chairman, Air Commodore Rexford Acquah and re-demarcation of lands (60 acres) at La TX Cantonment and ongoing projects to halt.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI