Kumasi, June 09, GNA – The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has warned the public to strive to secure all relevant and approved building permits before they embark on construction.
They should liaise with the Assembly to secure the requisite documents approving their work since that would help stem the construction of unauthorized buildings and related negative consequences.
Mr David Ameyaw, the Metropolitan Works Engineer, addressing a press conference in Kumasi, warned that the KMA would not countenance practices where buildings were constructed without adherence to due processes.
“The Assembly will have no choice than to pull down buildings whose structural integrity was questionable,” he cautioned.
Mr. Ameyaw referred to an unauthorized two-story building at Duase in the Ashanti Region, which the Assembly had deemed unfit for habitation, following a structural integrity report by the Architectural Engineering Services Limited (AESL).
“The AESL has recommended the said building for demolition, because it has so many structural defects, including; weak columns,” the Metropolitan Works Engineer confirmed.
According to him, in May, last year, the Assembly issued a notice warning the developer, who had no permit, to stop working on the building due to its weak foundation and structural defects.
However, the developer remained adamant, constructing the facility at the blind side of the authorities.
“The Assembly is of the view that the structural defects on the building pose a threat to life and property, and can cause disaster in the near future,” Mr. Ameyaw stated.
The KMA’s decision to demolish the building, he said, was intended to ensure public safety, stressing that the developer had been warned several times to put a stop to all construction works.
GNA