The Nii Afutu Brempong family is demanding full compensation from government for use of its land, which harbours the Pantang hospital.
The family also want government to release vacant lands outside the acquisition to them, as they say there is no hope of government paying for the lands acquired so far.
According to the family, government has unjustifiably taken over their lands for the construction of the Regional Mental Hospital and the National Orthopedic Centre under Executive Instrument (EI142).
The family said the total acreage of the two separate lands, acquired with the EI, measured 87.2 acres and 344.855 acres for the Mental Hospital and the National Orthopedic Centre respectively.
“…It appears that there’s no realistic hope of the government finding funds to settle the compensation for the lands acquired so far,” said the family.
Addressing journalists in Accra last Friday, Pantang Mantse, Nii Kotey Brempong III, said by a judgement of a High Court in Accra, the Pantang Hospital has encroached on a portion of land belonging to the family.
According to the Pantang Mantse, the ruling showed clearly that the hospital does not own all the parcels of land around it, neither does it have ownership over all available stretch around the hospital.
He noted that the family is amazed at how the Pantang Hospital has left its required lands of 87.24 and 344.855 acres which the family has still not been compensated for and rather fighting the family over the portion left for them, to the extent of embarking on sit down strike.
“I have been observing since March 2015 with much pain in my heart as a chief of the town and also a citizen of Ghana… I have made up my mind to, now step in to resolve the hospital and the family issues amicably to allow cool heads to prevail,” Nii Kotey Brempong III noted.
In a move to resolving all issue surrounding land sales, double land sales and land guard harassment by unscrupulous people, the chief indicated that the council of elders and some principal elders of the family have deemed it fit to appoint an Attorney to take care of their lands at Pantang.
“So, a company by name MASPCO has been given the power of Attorney to administer the lands in Pantang, in consultation with the Council of Elders, principal elders of the family and the family taskforce mainly made up of the youth. I plead with every one of you to corporate with him (Nii Ako Stephen Thompson, Attorney).
Though the land belongs to a family, the Pantang Mantse is the Caretaker, by virtue of being the chief of the town. Thus, he is stepping in to resolve the issue.
Giving a brief history about the land in contention, Nii Kotey Brempong acknowledged that government, per the EI 25 of 1970 and EI 42 of 1980, was given some lands for the development of a hospital and further acquisition of land for an expansion, and the establishment of a modern specialist hospital.
He continued that the hospital had erected structures which are being used, one being the hospital, another being a structure in an area being used as Health Assistant School and Psychological Clinic among others, earmarked to serve as specialist outpatient department.
The Nii Afutu Brempong family from Teshie-Krobo, are the owners of Otsirikomfo, Pantang, Danfa (Adoteiman Otiniibi), Kumiaboe and South Asante Akim lands.
The post Pantang family demands compensation over acquisition of Hospital lands appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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