The TDC Development Company Limited (TDC) has cautioned prospective land buyers not to purchase land within its acquisition area without first conducting a search with the company.

The TDC is the custodian of 65 square miles of land which covers parts of Krowor constituency through Tema West, Tema Metro, Ashaiman, Kpone-Katamanso, and Afienya in the Ningo-Prampram District.

Mr. Ian Okwei, TDC Protocol and Administrative Manager gave the caution during an interaction with Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to build ties between the two institutions.

Mr. Okwei advised prospective land developers to conduct a search with TDC which is the only authority with the master plan for the acquisition areas.

“This is the only way to ensure due diligence in the process of the acquisition and prevent the double sale of such lands,” Mr. Okwei noted.

He explained that even though some lands were released to the traditional councils within the acquisition areas, which they might allocate to prospective buyers, they could not issue a lease to such buyers adding that the traditional councils were expected to issue a letter to those they allocated lands to for TDC to carry out the documentation.

“The Traditional Council will give a letter to the buyer to be presented to the TDC, meaning, they have given authority for it to be leased. We don’t want double selling,” he said.

He urged persons who might have acquired such lands to contact the TDC outfit for regularization.

On granting permission within the area, he indicated that TDC as part of its mandate issue permitted for development until the Local Government Act placed permission under the district assemblies.

He, however, stated that currently, TDC was in charge of checking developments in its acquisition area to ensure that it conformed to the master layout for the various areas before the Assemblies would be given the green light to issue the needed development permit.

Mr. Okwei said issuing of permits without recourse to TDC had led to people building on waterways, and roads among others, and there was the need for the task force of TDC and the Assemblies to do joint inspections to ensure that developers adhered to the laws rather than bypassing the company to issue permits.

Mr. Ameyibor commended the TDC for its open-door policy and called for greater collaboration with the Ghana News Agency.