Politics of Sunday, 26 October 2014

Source: Today Newspaper

We’ll settle all disputes; says Minister

Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, has disclosed that his outfit is doing everything possible to settle all inter-district boundary disputes that are hampering revenue generation of some of the assemblies.

He said his ministry has been very instrumental in finding amicable solution to the problem and would ensure equity and fairness in the outcome.

The regional minister made these comments at the general assembly meeting of the Kpone Katamanso district assembly at Kpone.

“I am aware of the adverse effects that boundary disputes are having on your revenue mobilisation, and I will champion the course to ensuring their amicable solution,” he assured.

The meeting was held between the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and Kpone Katamanso District Assembly (KKDA).

He added that the former would collect all the revenue and take sixty per cent whilst the latter would take the remaining forty of the revenue until a solution was found to settle the boundary dispute between the two.

He, however, bemoaned the attitude of some functionaries and technocrats of the assemblies who were only interested in themselves.

Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, therefore, cautioned them to desist from fronting and interfering in the award of contracts, show of interest and personal bias towards people or contractors who won contracts through due process of the procurement law.

For his part, District Chief Executive Officer of KKDA, Alhaji Antiaye Tetteh, disclosed that the executive committee of the assembly has recommended that TMA should pay back the building permit fee ofGhc 80,000 collected from UT Properties at Saasabi near Oyibi and Ghc 26,000 property rate and Ghc 34,000 Business Operating Permit which were wrongfully paid to them this year by BOST and the Landfill Site.

He said the assembly will gravel the Afotey-Agbo, Calypso and Michel Camp roads as a matter of urgency, and construct a bridge to link Gbetsie to Zenu, New York and Washington.