GRi in Parliament 30 – 01 - 2003
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 January
2003- Members of Parliament on Wednesday expressed grave concern about the
issue of divested lands and called for pragmatic approaches to streamline the
acquisition and divesting of lands in the country.
The members suggested the
establishment of land banks for the use of investors; a new lands policy,
proper documentation of lands, legal issues to be strengthened and for the
re-organisation of the Town and Country Department.
They were contributing to a
statement made by Benjamin Osei Kuffour, NPP- Asunafo
on the issue of divesting of lands and its effects on the country's
development.
Kuffour said various lands were
vested in the state after independence through out the country to curtail
chieftaincy disputes, to effect statutory planning to ensure physical
development, renew historical events and aberrations and to prevent people from
engaging in multiple sale of lands.
He said vested lands are
therefore, managed by the Lands Commission but the beneficiary stools continue
to benefit from the rents that accrue from the land, the disbursement of which
is by statute.
Kuffour said the issue of
whether vested lands should be de-vested or not should be carefully considered
since there are various arguments for advocating that the lands be given back
to the stools and against de-vesting of the lands.
He said at the national level
there are several stool, families and individuals whose lands have been
compulsorily acquired without compensation particularly La and those lands
submerged under the
Kuffour said it was estimated
that about 800 billion cedis was required to pay all land compensations and
that the perception was that presently the Lands Commission was not transparent
with the management of the vested lands.
"In a property-owing
democracy, the stools, families and communities think they are being treated
unfairly. It should therefore, be possible to develop modalities and reporting
mechanisms to ensure that the beneficiary stools are properly informed and that
the Commission properly accounts for its stewardship", he added.
Modestus Ahiable,
NDC- Ketu North said even though many landowners are
complaining of not getting the right compensation to lands acquired by
government, the return of such lands to the owners could create problems.
The issue of land ownership was
becoming more complex and the earlier a solution was found the better it would
be for the advancement of the country. Alhaji Amadu Seidu,
NDC- Yapei-Kusawgu said it was necessary Government
handled the land issue with caution and to ensure that the lands were legally
acquired, compensation paid at the current rates to reduce conflict in the
country.
He also cautioned about the
issue of payment of compensation to victims of the
Amos Buertey,
NDC- Ada said since the issue was of vested and
acquired lands, government should take a second look at all lands vested in the
state, take inventory, identify the land owners document the reasons for their
being vested.
He said there was the need for a
study of the land tenure system throughout the country and not to assume that
all land issues are the same countrywide. Samuel Bour-Karikari,
NPP- Amansie West said most land do not have proper
documentation and so there should be a special programme to take inventory of
all lands in the country for the benefit of the future generation.
He suggested the creation of
land banks so that in this era of "Golden Age of Business", most
investors could readily acquire lands without hindrance to their development
plans.
Steve Akorli,
NDC- Ho East said the agitation was due to the fact that Government had
acquired lands in prime areas to which the landowners have been denied the
proper compensation and suggested the tightening of legal issues on lands to
protect the owners and investors.
Mike Hammah,
NDC- Effutu said since there are conflicting demand
for lands, there was the need for integrating land policies into the
development agenda of the country. He said there was the need for revisiting
the law that established the Town and Country Department in order for it to
play its expected role instead of engaging in the sale of lands.
Prof. Dominic Fobih, Minister of Environment and Science said the
ministry was initiating action to streamline all land issues to bring about
sanity and encourage investors.
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It also asked that the Minister
of Food and Agriculture be fully furnished with the proceedings of the house in
relation to the Armyworm invasion of the Keta
District. Ken Dzirrasah, Second Deputy Speaker, gave
the directive after members had expressed anxiety after the worm invasion.
Victor Gbeho,
NDC-Anlo, had made a statement saying that an army of
worms is sweeping through the Keta District leaving
in its trail serious health and agricultural problems. "We can confirm
that the northern areas of the Keta and Anlo constituencies in the Keta
District are currently under intense infestation from an
unknown specie of worms."
He said, "the tiny worms are destroying farm crops at a fast rate as
they feed voraciously on the leaves. They also attack human beings and animals
that come in contact with them." Gbeho said the
sting of the worm leaves the victim with reddened skin spots, which itch very
badly.
"The presence and action of
this unknown worm have become hazard to both human health and agriculture and
needed to be confronted without delay," the MP noted.
He said the infestations, which
is unprecedented was first reported in the last week of December 2002 in some
towns and villages lying to the north of the Keta
Lagoon. Members asked that a solution be found to the problem before it
engulfed other parts of the country.
Later in the day, the house
adopted a report of the Parliamentary delegation to the 41st Executive Committee
meeting and the 25th Conference of Speakers of the National Parliament of the
African Parliamentary Union (APU) from 21st to
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Vice Chairman Eugene Atta Agyepong told journalists that a group had petition against
the eligibility of the nominee hence the postponement. He said a five-member
sub committee of the Committee has appointed to investigate the petition. All
members are tight-lipped over the nature of the allegation and where it came
from.
GRi.../
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