‘We support interdiction of building inspectors’
Members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have expressed their support for the interdiction of three building inspectors following the collapse of a seven-storey building at Nii Boi Town in Accra.
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The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, announced the six-month interdiction of the building inspectors, soon after the collapse of the building, which killed one person.
The members expressed their support at a meeting chaired by the Presiding Member (PM) of the AMA, Mr Desmond Addo Biney.
The spokesman for the assembly, Mr Isaac Assah, last Tuesday justified the members’ support for
Mr Vanderpuye’s action, explaining that the MCE had fully engaged the building inspectors, and they, therefore, did not have any reason for failing to notice the building before it collapsed.
No excuse
Mr Assah said Mr Vanderpuye had been holding regular meetings with all the building inspectors at which they were expected to make known their activities, as well as challenges for solutions.
Specifically, he said the MCE introduced weekly meetings between him and the building inspectors to discuss issues affecting their work, among others.
He recalled that Mr Vanderpuye had informed the building inspectors of his intention to withdraw all of them from their various posts and constitute two teams to monitor construction projects, identify unauthorised structures and bring the developers to book.
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That plan, however, did not materialise, as, according to Mr Assah, the building inspectors instead requested for a two-week moratorium for them to do due diligence on all construction projects and submit reports on unauthorised structures for appropriate action.
Adverstisment
Aside the meetings, Mr Assah said the AMA advertised in the newspapers on Thursday, May 24, 2012, for all developers who had no building permit to visit the assembly and regularise their activities.
“For all these steps taken by the metropolitan chief executive and the opportunities afforded the building inspectors to report such developments to forestall such disasters from occurring, we the assembly members of the AMA support the interdiction of the building inspectors and the arrest of the owner of the building,” Mr Assah stated.