Accra, Feb.11, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the weekend bewailed the inordinate demand for land and landed property, which have resulted in civil strive, and protracted litigations in most communities.

He said land administration was bedevilled with inadequate records, computerised information services, surveys and fraudulent transactions. Vice President Mahama was speaking in Accra when he addressed the 38th Presidential Ball of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (Ghis) on the theme: " Ghana @ 50, Redeeming The Role of Surveyors". He said inadequate information on lands; the proliferation of unprofessional surveyors, land and estate agents, coupled with delays in service delivery had all conspired to compound the problem of an efficient land administrative service in the country. Vice President Mahama noted that these state of affairs had culminated in negative public concerns about services being rendered by the Ghis.

He said government had since 2003 embarked on comprehensive programmes aimed at reforming the land sector. It aims at reforming the laws governing land administration; customary land administration; land information, registration and the public and administrative sector.

Under the project, Ghis has been provided with 200,000 dollars for the purchase of up-to-date Information, Communication and Technology equipment, furniture, literature and library materials. The Vice President asked members of the Ghis to build their capacity to avoid the situation where a "civil servant is performing the functions of an architect, an architect undertaking planning schemes or a planner preparing valuations for work done by a contractor or a quantity surveyor designing building projects."

"This jack of all trades approach to the management of contracts is unprofessional, unethical and not cost effective." Vice President Mahama was made honourary fellowship of the Ghis at the ceremony.

Mr. Amoah Mensah, the out-going President of the Ghis asked the Vice-President, who was an alumni of the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to help refurbish the computer laboratory of his alma mater, which is in ruins.

Mr Samuel Ofori Offei, newly elected President of the Institution tasked members to achieve success, adding: "Too many of us are sitting on the fence and this is creating imbalance."