GRi in Parliament 13 – 03 - 2003
Discipline was also being instilled in the staff of the Town and Country
Planning Department (TCPD) who might be induced to re-zone such areas as well
as those found to be involved in such practices.
The sector Minister, Prof Dominic Fobih said this in Parliament on
Wednesday when Nii Adu Daku Mante, NPP-
Klottey Korle, asked what measures had been put in place to check officials at
the Department of Town and Country Planning from indiscriminate re-zoning of
sites used as public places of convenience for use now by private developers.
Prof. Fobih said the officials did not indiscriminately rezone the sites
and that such sites were hardly rezoned except in cases where the facility had
outlived its usefulness and then an alternative site was then created for the
use of the community in accordance with the law.
He explained that the TCPD, private landowners or the Lands Commission
Secretariat might initiate re-zoning where the site fell within the
government's acquired areas. The Minister said developers sometimes encroached
on sites even though they might not have been re-zoned especially where such
sites had not been formally acquired by the Assembly or were not adequately
protected.
Prof. Fobih said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly was aware of the
problem and had formed a committee known as the AMA Committee for Landed
Properties to investigate such encroachments.
The Committee had so far submitted interim reports on the Kpeshie and
Ayawaso Sub-Metros while work had been completed on the Okai-Koi Sub-Metro and
the committee was currently working within the Ablekuma Sub-Metro area.
Nii Mante asked whether the Minister was aware that a sanitary site at
Osu had been re-zoned for a church building to which the Minister said the
issue would be referred to the committee formed by the AMA to investigate.
Dr Mustapha Ahmed, NDC- Ayawaso East, suggested that the communities
should be involved in any educational campaigns so as to protect life and
property. Ernest Attuquaye Armah, NDC- Ga South, asked whether there were any
plans to re-staff the Town and Country Planning Department to play its expected
role and the Minister said the problem had been the lack of the requisite staff
since the
GRi.../
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At present viewers get better quality pictures if they tuned to VHF
channel 47 from the Kintampo Transposer instead of the channel seven from
Sunyani. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential
Affairs said this in Parliament on Wednesday.
He was answering a question posed by Yaw Effah-Baafi, NDC- Kintampo, as
to what collaborative efforts the Ministry was making to ensure that Ghana
Telecom Mast (Tower) at Kintampo was extended vertically to enhance the
coverage and performance of the Ghana Television Transposer in the area.
Lamptey said the Information Services Department had consequently been
authorised to sensitise the community on the issue within the next quarter to
enable the people to enjoy a better and improved reception.
Effah-Baafi asked whether the Minister was aware of the frequent
interruption of transmission signals and the Minister said the complaint would
be brought to the notice of GBC for early rectification.
Alhaji Amadu Ali, NDC- Atebubu South, asked what measures were being put
in place to install the television transposers lying idle in some areas and the
Minister said GBC had started a programme to install them.
GRi.../
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