SUNYANI TRADTIONAL COUNCIL TAKES GT TO TASK (PAGE 40)

Story: Samuel Duodu, Sunyani

THE Sunyani Traditional Council has protested against the construction of a one-storey building customer service office being undertaken by the Ghana Telecom (GT) on the company’s regional office premises in Sunyani, the regional capital.
According to the council, the company should consider building at least a four-storey building or more instead of the single storey, since that plan was not in line with the modern development agenda of the regional capital.
The council has, therefore, made a passionate appeal to all government institutions and corporate bodies in the regional capital to consult Nananom any time they wanted to embark on a project for them to make an input to forestall such protests.
The Krontihene of the Sunyani Traditional Area, Oboaman Bofotia Boaponsem II, who represented the Omanhene and President of the council, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, announced this at a news conference in Sunyani.
He said the decision by the GT management to construct a single storey at such a prime area in the regional capital was against the development agenda of the area.
Oboaman Boaponsem stated that since the land for the building was along the ceremonial road of the regional capital, it had been decided that all buildings to be put up in that area should be high-rise ones and not single storeys.
“For that reason, if GT wants to construct anything at all, it should be at least a four-storey building instead of the single storey to help in the face-lift and modernisation of the regional capital ,” he added.
Oboaman Boaponsem said at the last meeting on the issue between officials of GT and the council in Sunyani , the GT officials said the company had plans to construct a five-storey building in all the regional capitals.
He said there was, therefore, no reason for the sudden change to construct a single-storey regional office in Sunyani.
According to him, the land was given to the government free of charge in 1920s, so the traditional council would not sit down unconcerned for such projects that would not enhance the orderly development of Sunyani to take place.
He added that Nananom should be consulted on anything that would go for the development of Sunyani, to ensure an orderly planning of the town.
The Krontihene suggested that if GT did not have enough funds currently to construct at least the four-storey building, they should design the foundation of the building in such a way that in the near future, it could be continued, since the council was against the construction of a single-storey building at the place.
When contacted, Mr Agyeman Prempeh Agyekum, the Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of GT, said during a meeting on the issue with Nananom, he asked the council to officially write a petition to GT for their concerns to be looked at.
According to him, the GT regional office could not take any decision on the issue, since that was the prerogative of the management and the board in Accra.
Mr Agyekum gave the assurance that when the council submitted the petition, his outfit would forward it to Accra.
He, therefore, urged Nananom to exercise restraint.