The La Traditional Council has warned encroachers at Laboma Beach and in the Kpeshie Lagoon areas to stay off those sites.
The La Shiketele (Kingmaker), Nii Adjei Koofeh IV, who issued the warning last Friday, indicated that none of the developers had title or the authority from the land owners or permits from the assembly to embark on any developments there.
“All those developing at Laboma Beach and in the Kpeshie Lagoon areas are encroachers in the sight of the law and before the traditional council because they do not have permit to undertake any development there,” he warned.
Nii Koofeh IV and a team from the council accompanied by members from the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), La Dade-Kotopon Development Trust and the La Dade-Kotopon MUSEC visited these areas to assess the level of encroachment.
He tasked the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Security Council and the assembly to enforce regular monitoring and inspection exercise to ward off or arrest anyone found there.
The Council expressed worry about the speed of encroachments going on at Laboma beach area and the gradual blocking of the Kpeshie Lagoon without considering future consequences after it rains heavily.
“Am shocked to the core, the level of development at these sites, because we had been here several times and we told them not to go ahead with any development because its consequences could be fatal” he said.
La Shikelete also stated that the Former Greater Accra regional Minister, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, threatened to demolished the area but the youth pleaded to ensure all developments were halted but had fail to live up to the council’s expectation.
According Nii Koofeh IV, “it is regrettable that people often accused the elders for giving out lands meant for development for their personal benefit but in the case of La, it is the youth who are destroying the environment for their benefit.”
The Council also ordered workers at Tse-Addo, which is in the heart of the Kpeshie lagoon to stop work and move away from the site till further notice.
He noted that the level of reclamation of the Kpeshie Lagoon for developmental purposes is alarming and if care is not taken the indigens would have a course to accuse the elders.
Additionally, the La Shiketele said all efforts to stop the illegal encroachment in the municipality had fallen on deaf ears due to the involvement of the youth and some faceless high-profile leaders in the country.
Th Chairman of the East Dade-Kotopon Development Trust, Joseph Nii Annan Lamey, said the almost 30 acres of the lagoon has been reduced to 100 feet by encroachers.
Mr Lamey stated that on document, only 12 acres had been allocated but the rest of the acres cannot be accounted for.
The Engineer for LaDMA, Michael Boateng, indicated that per the search from the assembly none of the developers at the Laboma beach and the Kpeshie Lagoon site has legal permits to the place.
Mr Boateng also said the assembly would soon carry out a zoning exercise to know the next step to take
BY VICTOR A. BUXTON
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