200 Displaced by Kasoa demolition exercise

30-08-08
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ABOUT 200 people have been displaced following the demolition of more than 100 structures at the Lamptey-Mills area at Kasoa in the Central Region.
The people, who are currently putting up with friends and relatives, have, therefore, called on the government to intervene in the matter, since they did not have anywhere to go.
They said for now there should be an embargo on the exercise, which had been suspended according to the police.
“For those of us who could not get anywhere to send our things, we had to sleep in the open last night to keep watch over them,” Alhaji Demsu, an executive member of the Lamptey-Mills Landlords Association, told the Daily Graphic on Thursday.
He said with each of the households having about five people, including caretakers, the number of people affected by the exercise was huge.
The Chairman of the association, Mr Seth Owusu-Ansah, said the current situation was horrible as people had nowhere to sleep.
He said although the case was pending at the Court of Appeal, the lady at the centre of the issue was not ready to negotiate.
Last Wednesday, about 15 bulldozers backed by armed policemen pulled down more than 100 houses around the Lamptey-Mills area.
The affected landlords deplored the exercise, since they were not given any prior notice. They also argued that there was an appeal pending at the Court of Appeal against the Swedru High Court decision.
However, the Central Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atenga, said after the police headquarters were informed of the court’s requests, checks were made at the court to see whether or not there was a stay of execution, saying that the checks showed that there was none.
She said announcements of the intended demolition were made in some newspapers and on some radio stations.