The La Traditional Council says all redevelopment plans by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for the demolished La Pleasure Beach Resort have been put on hold.
The decision follows a high-level stakeholder meeting involving the La Traditional Council, SSNIT and the National Security.
Speaking after the meeting, La Shikitele Nii Adjei Koofeh IV said the Council was unhappy with the manner in which the demolition exercise was carried out without prior consultation with the traditional authorities.
He explained that the La Traditional Council, as the landowners and primary stakeholders, should have been informed before the exercise.
According to him, National Security officials explained that not every operation or exercise requires prior disclosure, but the Council maintained that it should at least have been alerted because of its interest in the land.
Nii Adjei Koofeh IV criticised SSNIT over claims that it had been engaging the traditional authorities on the redevelopment of the area.
He said SSNIT had published information suggesting that it would continue engaging the Council, which implied that consultations had already begun.
He maintained that this was not the case and said the Council raised the matter during the meeting.
He said SSNIT subsequently apologised, while National Security also apologised for failing to engage the traditional authorities before the demolition exercise.
On the way forward, Nii Adjei Koofeh IV said the redevelopment has been suspended to allow for proper consultations and the observance of due process.
He said a committee will be formed to examine the issues surrounding the demolition and consider SSNIT’s redevelopment plans with the aim of reaching an agreement that satisfies all stakeholders.
The La Traditional Council, he added, wants the interests of the La people to be protected in any future arrangement.
He stressed that whatever belongs to La must remain beneficial to the people of La, while the interests of La indigenes working at the facility must also be safeguarded.
By: Jacob Aggrey
