The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa has directed the Lands Commission in the region to immediately suspend land re-allocation exercise being undertaken in the regional capital, Ho.
The Regional Lands Commission, according to the Minister, has been allocating prime government lands within the vicinity of the residency to private persons and developers, under a policy dubbed “Infilling Exercise” approved by the previous administration of the Commission.
Dr. Letsa at a press conference over the weekend, said, the commission has between December 7 last year and January 7 2017, given out plots of lands to the individuals on lease for as much as 99 years.
This, he noted has raised a lot of concerns among some top Public Servants, who occupy government bungalows on the affected lands.
He said the exercise was not in the best interest of the public, as it also compromises the security of the Minister’s residence, as raised by the Regional Security chiefs.
“The Infilling Exercise is a massive and extensive exercise where allocations have been made too close to the Residency, bungalows of government institutions and public officials to the total neglect of the attendant security implications.”
“Indeed, I have received an outpour of complaints since I took office as the President’s Representative for the Volta Region about this Infilling Exercise. The complaints were from occupants of public bungalows and ordinary people.
“ I, being Regional Minister, have made known my outrage at the concept behind the exercise as a whole and had, without mincing words, called for an immediate halt to the exercise,” he stated.
He added that, an official complaint has been lodged with Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources look into the ‘Infilling exercise.’
