We have not given permit to Din Fan Lin company — Ga South assembly
The GA South Municipal Assembly has debunked the assertion that it has given permit to a Chinese company, Din Fan Lin, for the construction of what is alleged to be a factory or a warehouse at Weija, near Kasoa.
Advertisement
The intricacies
The Public Relations Officer of the GA South Municipal Assembly, Mr Elliot Adom, told the Daily Graphic that the company in question had applied for a development permit
“We have received their documentation and ironically the man has a permit from EPA and even a title to the land title. What he has done is to apply for permit and has attached this documentation, which is a prerequisite document for acceptance of the document. But it is not a surety that once you apply, you will get the permit. It is a process,” he disclosed.
He said the company had paid the permit fee, but the application was currently pending at the meeting of a planning committee, which will either approve or disapprove the plan for the construction.
“And it is at this meeting that a representative of the Land Commission would either accept this land document or reject it. As of now, we cannot because we do not have the competence to do that,” he announced.
Mr Adom observed that the planning committee would also embark on a site visit to see some of the problems that would emanate from the construction, adding that “when the permit is given, strict instructions would have been given. Currently, we have not given permit to the Din Fan Lin Company to put up either a factory or a warehouse as being alleged by some residents.”
He also explained that the assembly had issued a directive for work at the site to be halted after a report was made by a resident, Mr Frank Boah, who has his property close to the construction site.
This report comes in the wake of a publication by the Daily Guide newspaper on Friday, February 28, 2014, under the headline “Weija Residents up in arms” in which it was reported that some residents of Old Barrier, near Weija in the Greater Accra Region, were protesting against the construction of what most of them believed was a factory or a warehouse in a purely residential area.
Other Trending Stories
The publication also indicated that the assembly instructed the company to pay a ‘building permit’ fee on January 20, 2014, which would enable them to proceed with the construction work.
Other perspectives
The Dzasetse and Acting Mantse of Weija, Nii Boafo Danyina- Nse, told the Daily Graphic that the complainant, Mr Boah of Frank Fields Limited, had contracted people to represent the residents of Weija, and added that the people were from Bortianor and not from Weija as reported.
He described as unfortunate the reports circulating in the public domain that the assembly had no knowledge about the ongoing project.
“There was a letter written to the one who was holding the fort for the owner and the first line read ‘we have observed to our utter dismay the construction of the above huge facility without permit and authorisation.’ Where does that come from?” he questioned.
Nii Danyina- Nse, therefore, produced receipts he claimed was issued by the assembly and authorisation documents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to back his claim that the company was from the genesis given the green light to embark on the project.
“Now we are saying we want investment to come into our fold to create jobs for the jobless. Now, if a Chinese man is coming in to erect a warehouse, one way or another he is going to employ at least 20 unemployed people. If an individual is coming in to stop the project because he has a residence around that place, should he be considered leaving the lot. Is that proper?” he added.
When questioned whether he knew what would be stored in the warehouse, Nii Danyina- Nse responded in the negative, but gave the assurance that they would be devoid of any harmful substances since the EPA had already approved the activities of the company.