Government to pull down over 6,000 buildings for encroaching quarry zone

The Afigya Kwabere South District Assembly, in the Ashanti region, has begun moves to demolish over 6000 buildings at Ntiriho Buoho, Krobo, Hemang among other communities.

According to the Assembly, the Quarry zone reserved by the minerals commission for mining and security services shooting range has been encroached for years.

The assembly upon acting on the instruction of the minerals commission and the local government ministry has officially served notice of demolishing to the landlords whose buildings fall about 500 meters to the quarry site to pack off from their homes to pave ways for the exercise.

The Afigya Kwabere South district is a farming district in the Ashanti region. The district shares geographical boundaries with Suame, Boamang and Offinso municipals on the Kumasi Tachimam route.

However, the once farming areas are fast developing into estate infrastructures with over 6000 buildings situated on the quarry zones reserved for quarry activities and security service personnel shooting range.

In view of the development, the district Assembly has served over 6000 landlords demolishing notice for encroaching the buffer zones of the quarry zone which mining has commenced.

Per the mining act, the nearest residence to a mining site should range for about 500 meters, but the assembly assessment on the level of encroachment in the quarry zone confirmed that 874 houses have encroached the zone at 100 meters, 1669 at 200 meters, 2441 houses at 300 meters and 3929 landlords site their structures at about 500 meters.

A development the mineral commission says poses a lot of threat to the life of the persons who have encroached the quarry zone with buildings.

However, the landlords insist, they accrued the lands from the late Dadiesoabahene before the rocky mountain was released for quarry by the government hence they have no place to move to after investing their resources in their buildings.

A 74-year-old pensioner, Maame Afia Serwaa whose building has been marked for demolishing wants government to reconsider its decision to mine the rocky mountain.

Other members of the Ntriho-Buoho landlord association members also shared other concerns of their colleagues .

Another landlord who gave her name as Kofi Taller in an interview with GHOne News said, the Assembly has never engaged them on the said Quarry Zone encroachment. He questioned why the assembly takes property rate tax from landlords for years knowing the area is a quarry Zone.

Christian Adu-Peter, District Chief Executive for the Afigya Kwabere South who spoke to GHone said about 90 percent of the estate owners at Hemang, Ntribuoho, Krobo, Hemang and Adomakobuoho who have encroached the quarry zone built their houses without a permit from the Assembly.

He alleged majority of them built their houses during night hours which made it difficult for the Assembly to stop them while encroaching the quarry zone.

He added, the rocky maintain is worth millions of dollars which can’t be sacrificed for estate infrastructures.