Ranking Member on the Lands and Forestry Committee in Parliament, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo says the Committee does not know the Government Redevelopment Programme (GRP) being implemented by the Ministry of Works and Housing.
Mr. Rashid Pelpuo’s comment follows the statement by the Ministry of Works and Housing saying the ministry has implemented a Government Redevelopment Programme (GRP) which ultimately gives optimal benefit and ensures efficient use of government lands.
The programme is aimed to redevelop prime lands in the Cantonments, Kanda, West Ridge and Roman Ridge areas into public bungalows and housing units for the growing number of senior government and civil service officials.
The Ministry of Works and Housing in the statement claimed that the programme dates as far back as 1992 and has been implemented by successive governments.
The Ministry added that the Cabinet approved a revised scheme of the programme to include neighbouring areas like the Osu Ringway, the Airport residential area and Labone on May 14, 2018.
However, the Member of Parliament for Wa Central MP in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on TV3 on Monday, January 15, noted emphatically, that the Committee does not know the programme.
“To tell you the truth, the Committee is unaware of the policy. We are unaware about the practical implementation of it, which is giving the government the leeway to break down buildings, to sell out parts of buildings that have had government for a very long time,” he noted.
Mr Rashid Pelpuo also expressed worry over the government demolition of buildings on prime lands and urged that more information on the programme should be provided to the Committee.
“We watch it with a lot of worry and we are concerned that the details are not discussed with us and we wish that some more information is given to us as to how exactly they are implementing that policy,” Mr Pelpuo said.
He recalled an instance where he questioned the Works and Housing Minister on why the government was involved in the sale of prime lands. The response, he said was, “he [The Minister] referred to the fact that it’s been a policy of old and that he was just implementing a policy which had been carried to them”.
The Ministry of Works and Housing’s statement was in reaction to an allegation by the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, that the government has sold the residence of the late Justice Marful-Sau to a private developer.
The ministry has urged the public to disregard such false allegations as it clarifies that there has been no sale of the mentioned property.