Public & Vested Lands Management Division Must Be Resourced –Surveyor

From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
A retired Ashanti Regional Surveyor of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Nana NanabanyinNinsin-Imbeah II, has called on the Minister of Lands & Natural Resources to assist the Public and Vested Lands management division of the Lands Commission (PVLMC) to be proactive.

Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II, who is also the Ex-Nyimfahen of the Mfantseman Council in Ashanti says it is very worrying to note that state institutions are taking up arms to fight encroachers of government lands when the PVLMD is instituted to be responsible for such lands.

The call by retired Regional Surveyor follows recent demonstrations by the staff of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in reaction to encroachment of acquired lands belonging to these institutions.

“How sensible and reasonable is it for us, as a nation, to allow such encroachments and later find huge monies in compensation and judgment debts, which can be used for other National development”, he queried.

The retired surveyor said, it is not only such lands that are encroached upon, but lands that are also allotted on statutory schemes, since roads are excessively being abused by encroachers and each time that these roads are to be expanded and improved, fantastic and very huge compensations are paid.

Some of the encroachers even have the audacity to sue state institutions for the demolition of their structures erected on government lands.

According to him, even though some of the road agencies are aware that huge compensations are paid, they sit unconcerned and allow such persons who have been compensated to use the monies paid them to redevelop the properties so demolished, so as to attract more compensation later.

It is against this background that Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II has recommended that the sector Ministers of Roads and Highways, Lands and Natural Resources, Local Government, Environment Science & Technology and Transportation should be empowered by the Chief of Staff to brainstorm and find lasting solutions to this unpleasant development which is consciously draining state funds into the drain.

Nana Ninsi-Imbeah II, who was also the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GHA Senior Staff Association said: “Encroachers are like armed robbers who do not deserve any sympathy” and entreated the Chief of Staff at the office of the President “to positively support staff of GCAA who are on national crusade to retrieve the over 600 acres of land from the encroachers”.

He noted that encroachers scoop materials from road embankments for sale, cut into them to build way side stores at night, which in the end attract very huge and highly unreasonable compensations at the expense of state funds.

As a result, the retiree has suggested that Ghana must institute disciplinary measures to help clear all state lands of encroachers in the face of the call by the President John Dramani Mahama in his State of the Nation Address in 2013, on all to help protect state lands from encroachers.

Meanwhile, Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II has commended the immediate past Minister of Transport, a former Director General of the Ghana Atomic Commission and the Accra Mayor, Dr Oko Vanderpuiye, for being the only state officials who were so much concerned and dared the consequence to carry out massive demolition of the properties of encroachers within the Railway land and Ghana Atomic Commission Land at Kwabenya.

The ex-chief asked that, if Dr Oko Vanderpurye and others could do it, why can't the others also follow suit.

Pix: Nana Nanabanyin Ninsin-Imbeah II