THE country's development landscape is in a confused state due to the utter disregard for rules and regulations.
The present state of affairs is self-inflicted because institutions of state and public officials have developed cold feet in enforcing the laws to deter those bent on erecting illegal structures in the country.
It is common knowledge that no structure can be erected in our communities without the prior approval of the statutory authorities, including the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.
Sometimes the Daily Graphic wonders whether there is the need for any new laws, since the challenge has not been with the quality and number of pieces of legislation but with enforcement.
Our inaction, otherwise known as systemic failure, has condemned the entire society to the tragedies of floods and fires.
The recent floods that claimed more than 30 lives were attributed to the erection of unauthorised structures on watercourses. It is the wish of many Ghanaians that we never again subject ourselves to the pain and suffering caused by those floods.
The DAILY GRAPHIC finds it very difficult to engage in the blame game, although the state has assigned distinctive roles to public institutions and public servants.
We do not think it is difficult to sanction those who flout regulations in society. Perhaps action has been slow in this regard because majority of the people condone wrongdoing.
Every now and then precious lives are lost but very little is done to prevent a recurrence, thereby making the flood situation, particularly in certain parts of Accra, a perennial one.
The development agenda in every society is ordered by a master plan. Do we have a master plan for Accra? If we do, is anybody enforcing that plan?
We are told that the country can boast the Town and Country Planning Law of 1994 and this is to be replaced by the Land Use and Planning Law, which is in the draft form.
The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Aryittey, said at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the draft law in Accra yesterday that the enforcement of the proposed law would “help regulate national, regional, district and local spatial planning to promote health, safety and a decent living environment for all”.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is happy that the minister acknowledges the challenges posed by the disorder in the development process and wants that addressed, not just through the promulgation of yet another law but the strict enforcement of the law.
There is a correlation between the erection of structures and the quality of life of the people. For this reason, there must be ecological balance, spatial planning, the protection of water bodies and the maintenance of clean drains.
Therefore, the government should not just be interested in the change of name of the Town and Country Planning Department into a Planning Authority to enforce the proper planning of buildings and decongestion of depressed settlements in the country.
Yes, there is something in a name in our society, but the people working in state institutions must recognise that they were recruited to serve the people. The change in name will be meaningless if the employees ignore this rule.
It is unfortunate that the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), a creation of the Constitution, is not adequately resourced to promote balanced development in the country. Instead, successive regimes have treated it as a ‘Siberia’ for public servants, thereby undermining the crucial role of the commission in national development.
It is our hope that the Land and Planning Law will be given teeth to bite to bring about the proper planning of our communities and not just become another paper tiger.
No comments:
Post a Comment