Poor urban planning and politics to blame - Subin MP on Adum fire challenges

Member of Parliament for Subin, Kofi Obiri Yeboah, has raised concerns over congestion in central business districts and markets across Ghana in relation to poor urban planning.

The MP’s comments are in response to complaints from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) about the challenges they faced accessing the scene of a devastating fire that destroyed shops at Adum in the Ashanti Region on Friday, March 21. The incident left traders scrambling to save their goods amid the chaos.

READ ALSO: Angry Adum market traders blast government over fire damages

Mr. Yeboah blamed unregulated development, stressing that political interests often take precedence over proper city planning.

In terms of developing our cities and our towns, we should do them devoid of political influences. What I heard from the fire officers was that they got there early but there was no road access to enable them to do their work. Sometimes people build in areas they are not supposed to build.

According to him, firefighters arrived early but struggled due to lack of road access. He pointed out that many buildings are constructed in unauthorised areas, making disaster management more difficult.

You tell them not to and the response is that they won’t vote for you. I think it’s high time we do the right thing.

While there are still investigations of what could have caused the fire, many assumptions are leading to electrical faults as the cause.

READ ALSO:  Police arrest looters amid fire outbreak at Adum PZ [Video]

His remarks add to growing calls for stricter enforcement of urban regulations to prevent such tragedies in the future.

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