The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has terminated a contract signed between the Assembly and Aero Surveys Limited, under which the latter was charged to undertake the street naming and house numbering in the Accra metropolis in line with AMA’s programme of improving the data-base for property identification and rating.

A letter that emanated from the office of the Metro Solicitor, Ms Selina Fenteng on 14 February 2001 and addressed to the Managing Director, Aero Surveys Ltd, had indicated that the air survey, the development and production of maps by Aero Surveys, as well as the role of the Land Valuation Board (LVB) for the purpose of valuing properties and developing a database and billing system (as enshrined in paragraph B (i) of the Contract Agreement) were to have been completed before or by 31 December 2000.

However, as the task could not be accomplished as scheduled, the Assembly’s solicitor, referring to paragraph F (ii) of the Agreement stated, “I give you notice that if within thirty days from the date of this letter you do not remedy the breach, the AMA shall terminate the contract without prejudice to any rights or remedies we may have against.”

Aero Surverys could not meet the 30-day ultimatum for the billing to commence and so the entire contract was terminated. The company blamed the Land Valuation Board for the delay.

A letter signed by the Managing Director, Chaka Azu, on 15 January 2001- a month before the AMA’s ultimatum- read in part, “The objective to commence billing by January 2001 has been frustrated by the Rating Division of the Land Valuation Board, whose statutory role to revalue the properties was engaged to undertake the exercise.

“To date, the Land Valuation Board, in spite of an agreed minimum of 50 per cent completion by December 2000, have submitted records on only six thousand properties after several reminders and all funding requirements having been met.”

Aero surveys therefore envisaged billing to commence in July 2001 and requested the Assembly to begin with the provisional 2001 bills distribution “as discussed at our last meeting with the Director (I.T. Adjovu and the Metro Treasurer, C. Eleblu)”- now with the Ministry of Health.

On its part, the Land Valuation Board also blamed the AMA for not embarking on education and information to enhance its revaluation exercise.