After several years of service to one’s nation , one would expect to retire to a safe, comfortable and secured rest with less stress. Unfortunately, this is not the situation of a 91 year old retired former senior bank employee.
A private developer, Koala Shopping Center which has chosen to locate in a Zone’A’ residential enclave of East Cantonments in Accra is impeding the privacy and safety of a celebrated nonagenarian banking retiree with impunity from city authorities and without remorse or recourse to remedy.
Mr. Dougan, the 91 year old retired banker who is the brain behind introducing Rural Banking into Ghana, has been enjoying a peaceful rest in East Cantoments since 1967 until the developer moved next door 2 years ago.
According to Ms Dougan, the daughter of the retired banker, constant flooding and damage to the wall, caused by land filling by the developer and rendered the wall weak that collapsed twice, and after a heavy rainfall which trapped the elderly man indoors for days. The existing customer parking also posing a high risk and making unsafe to the family should a car crash through the wall.
The daughter also spoke about the loss of privacy for her aged father due to the wall.
Under the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, Town and Country Planning Department Zoning Guidelines and Planning Standards of November, 2011, areas of residence zoned as Residential Zone ‘A’ (ReA), ‘B’ (ReB) and ‘C’ (ReC), are forbidden to have industrial or commercial structures such as large supermarket or shopping malls as being developed by Koala Shopping Center in East Cantonments presently.
In addition to the supermarket and retail shops, it appears permission has also been given for construction of restaurant on the same site.
Ms Dougan also laments the various letters and visits to the Ladadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LadMA) to draw attention and seek redress for the situation that has yielded no resolution.
Efforts by news reporters to reach the MP for La Dadekotopon, Honourable Rita Naa Adoley Sowah who initially visited the house and pledged to help resolve the issue also awaits reply or action.
Agents and management of the developer are also tight lipped on the issue even though very little attempt has been made to improve the privacy of Mr Dougan after the press was brought into the matter.
Kessben News is still following this story keenly to it’s logical conclusion.
