Winneba, Dec. 30, GNA - Twelve landlords at Kasoa whose buildings have been earmarked for demolition to give way for the construction of the Mallam-Kasoa highway, have refused to collect the final payment of their compensation package totaling 1,437,829,800 cedis. Mr Solomon Kwashie Abbam-Quaye, District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu-Senya, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Winneba on Wednesday said the landlords, who had all received the first tranche of the package feared that their buildings would be demolished soon after collecting the final settlement. The monies ranging from 40,976,000 cedis to 323,900,000 cedis for the individual landlords represent the final payment of the compensation package.

Mr Abbam-Quaye said his office had received copies of letters from the Ghana Highway Authority requesting beneficiary landlords to collect their compensation packages on October 4, this year but expressed regret that since then all efforts to get the recipients had proved futile. He said the refusal of the landlords to go for the money was delaying the final stage of the road works at Kasoa and warned the affected landlords to go for the money because the Ghana Highways Authority in collaboration with his office would soon embark on the final demolition of all affected buildings along the highway to give way for the completion of the project. Mr Abbam-Quaye said government would use part of the compensations of recalcitrant landlords who persistently refused to vacate their premises to pay for the cost of the demolition exercise.