By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Anaji (WR), Jan. 27, GNA – Residents of Anaji, a suburb of Takoradi are protesting against the sale of about five acres of land which served as community recreational centre to a private developer.
The land in question according to sources belonged to the State Housing Corporation, who developed the area for government workers, but had since sold all houses in that enclave to individuals despite the existence of most of the State companies that owned the houses.
Meanwhile, the Anaji park has played the role of a community centre where both the young and old gathered to watch football, have church crusades, do physical exercises and funerals to list a few.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency to the park saw school children as usual having good memories of early childhood football on the park.
Kofi Mensah, a 14-year-old was worried that their only source of recreation was purported to have been sold to a private developer leaving residents to gather on roads for social events in and around town.
Not long ago, the “Casirena belt” in Takoradi which was also used for similar purposes was sold by state authorities leaving residents to gather on roads for social events including the popular masquerade festival.
Elsewhere in the world, communities have parks, gardens, watersheds, and beautiful scenes where people gathered to have fun, ease stress, and become refreshed for lives…, “why is it that our leaders seem to care the less about the citizenry,” a retired Police Officer queried.
Mr Frank Mensah, a youth in the community was angry that leadership have failed to engage the community over the period.
He argued that state housing belonged to the State of which the community formed part and must, therefore, resist any attempt to sell such community property to a private developer against the well-being of the people in this day and age where healthy lives required that people do physical exercises in health promotion.
GNA