Many suburbs in the city of Accra have suffered indiscriminate placement of structures some of which may be considered temporal and others permanent without prior approval of the city authorities which are responsible or oversee the placement and arrangement of any and all types of building structures, including that of a metal container used for a mini mart or supermarket, hair salon, a wooden kiosk or shop for the other various businesses.
The indiscriminate placement of these structures happens under the full glare of the city authority officials some of whom are alleged to even take money and allow the placing of these structures at unauthorized and unlawful places and spaces within the city’s suburbs.
As a matter of fact, Accra could have been clean and beautiful if people working in the various departments within the Authority did their work well without fear or favour, and applied the laws and by-laws to the letter.
Those in charge of affairs have compromised their offices as well as positions, and this attitude and conduct seem to have been handed down from generation to generation because the way some members of staff go about their work has not changed, does not change, and probably may not change.
Accra continue to suffer floods, and each time it happens, the Authority quickly looks for scapegoats to blame for the occurrence. That is when they identify where folks have placed structures in water ways and generally unauthorized places.
It is about time they are held responsible and accountable for situations or accidents that may occur as a result of indiscriminate placement of structures within the city, and this should be done devoid of politics.
The beautification of the city usually is as a result of the proper alignment of building structures, with well cut out passage ways which includes, streets or roads for vehicles especially, paved road side walks, and lanes leading to residences.
Unfortunately for our city with all its educated human resource namely; engineers, technocrats and bureaucrats it is so disorganized, and in a poor and bad shape with everyone trying and forcing to get a space to sell.
The result is the creation of filth all over with choked gutters and drains resulting in terrible floods during any heavy down pour. What is more disgusting is the sale of cooked food notably ‘waakye’, rice and stew, roasted plantain and groundnuts etc besides small and large open gutters and drains which are choked, full and smelly.
Accra must change and it will happen if the city authorities put their men to full use in application of the laws and by-laws which will ensure not only in central Accra, but throughout the entire city and by extension to the whole nation, that folks are made to do the right thing or be punished and charged so they don’t for example park and leave their cars by the roadside or on side paved walks for a very long time causing traffic obstructions resulting many a time in serious accidents.
The full application of the laws will also ensure people not using the lanes and sidewalks as places they can place and stationed their container shops and kiosks no matter their size as well as the spreading of goods on the same paved sidewalks for sale.
In conclusion therefore, the Assemblies especially the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and its sub-metros should be up and doing using all they have in their power to change the face of Accra so they are not seen as the enemies of progress in the enforcement of the laws and by-laws for a cleaner, fresher, and beautiful city of Accra, Ghana’s capital.
