Obuasi East DCE Clears The Air On Justification Of The Demolishing Exercise

The Chief Executive for the Obuasi East District Assemble Hon. Faustina Amissah has set the record straight regarding a demolishing exercise sanctioned by the Assembly on Saturday 11th February, 2023.

The exercise which has remained a topical issue since last weekend and has received mixed reaction from the public was to pave way for the construction of a hostel facility for the KNUST-Obuasi Campus and to also sanitise the process of allocating the bungalows to deserving public workers.

According to the DCE, the PTP bungalow was relinquished to the Assembly by AngloGold Ashanti even before the Obuasi East District was carved out of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.

She said the Assembly since 2019 has engaged occupants of the bungalow who could be best described as squatters but several attempts to get them out of the bungalow have not been heeded to.

Hon. Amissah added that the Assembly decided to use force to evict them because it considered the cost involved in battling the issue in court as not effective since the Assembly is empowered by law to demolish buildings.

She again emphasized that the Assembly before demolishing some of the bungalows made announcement through the Assembly Member for the Area hence does not see the merit in the assertions by the affected people that they were not informed.

The PTP bungalow forms part of properties in the North Mine that AngloGold Ashanti relinquished it to the state after reducing its operational footprint in 2014.

The bungalows since then has been taken over by the people who claim the Assembly Member for the area Isaac Nsaah handed them access to the bungalows.

This has been corroborated by the Assembly Member but he claims he sought the permission of the Sustainability Department of AGA before handing over the place to them, claiming the place became a safe haven for the thieves hence needed people to occupy them, to protect them.

Mr. Nsaah stressed that he told the occupants that they were there on a temporal basis since the owners could take back their property when they deem fit.
Currently, some of the houses have been demolished in the exercise the DCE termed as successful.

The Media present were given opportunities to ask questions on matters arising from the demolishing exercise.