The Battor Citizens Development Association (BACIDA) has appealed to the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (LGC) to use his good offices to prevent the North Tongu District Assembly (NTDA) Engineer, Mr Ebenezer Adega, from building a washing bay on waterway at Battor – Agboganu.
According to BACIDA, Mr Adega had been asked to stop work on several occasions by the Association and the Paramount Chief of Battor Traditional Area, Togbega Patamia Dzekle VII, but had refused to listen.
In a petition signed by the Chairman of BACIDA, Ex-WOI Bright Segbefia, said even though the Paramount Chief also added his voice, Mr Adega went ahead to build the washing bay on a natural waterway, which posed danger to the community in terms of flooding as experienced at Mepe, a neighbouring traditional area, during the Akosombo Dam spillage, which flooded the community.
It continued that since Mr Adega was disrespectful to the Paramount Chief, BACIDA reported his conduct to the professional body he belongs, the Institute of Engineers and Technology (I ET) believing that he would respond positively but he allegedly refused.
The Association, according to the petition, and having explored all available means to prevent Mr Adega, a staff of the Assembly failed, and decided to petition the sector Minister to prevent him from carrying out the project.
The petition, therefore, urged the minister to bring Mr Adega to order, since his conduct would not ensure peaceful discharge of his career elsewhere if he did not change his attitude towards traditional authorities.
However, when contacted on his cell phone, Mr Adega refuted the allegations and described the actions of BACIDA as a “deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.”
According to Mr Adega, he legally acquired the land with relevant documentations from the land owners, site plan which he developed and was approved by the Physical Planning Unit (PPU) of the NTDA and built a washing bay which he started using.
He said he was surprised that BACIDA had written a letter to the NTDA Coordinating Director asking him to ensure that he stopped work on the 80 by 40 plot of land without giving him a copy of the letter, which he described as ridiculous.
Mr Adega insisted that he is a professional engineer, who had been educating people on safety measures, particularly regarding putting up of structures and said he had not built on waterways
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, BATTOR
