The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), Mr Alfredos Nii Anyetei, has denied allegations by victims of last Monday’s demolition exercise near the La Kpeshie Lagoon that they were not informed ahead of the operation.
He said the assembly duly informed residents before the demolition exercise was carried out.
Mr Anyetei told The Ghanaian Times in an interview on Tuesday that the exercise was undertaken by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), with support from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, and not by LaDMA.
“As an assembly, we took all the necessary steps, including alerting the community with our public address vans, holding community engagements, and re-informing them days before the exercise took place,” he said.
The MCE indicated that all persons operating along the affected stretch had no permits from the assembly and were operating within the buffer zone of the Kpeshie Lagoon, which contravenes the country’s ecological laws.
He explained that the demolition was necessary to prevent the continuous filling of the lagoon with debris, a situation that had contributed to flooding in La and surrounding communities during heavy rainfall.
A victim of the demolition exercise, who operated a car rental business in the area and pleaded anonymity, said the action had adversely affected his business.
He appealed to the assembly to provide an alternative location where affected persons could continue their economic activities.
BY VICTOR A. BUXTON
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