The executive of National Democratic Congress in Tema is calling on President John Mahama to dismiss Managing Director of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) over the demolishing of houses at Adjei Kojo.

Since Tuesday, bulldozers, escorted by heavily armed military and police personnel have razed down about 150 houses at Sraha and King Solomon City suburbs. This didn’t happen without fierce opposition from residents, local chiefs and the Member of Parliament for Tema West Irene Naa Torshie Addo.

The TDC accused the home owners of encroaching on its lands.

In a statement signed by Richard Fiadomor, Coordinating Secretary of the Tema Coordinating Committee, he questioned why the TDC allowed the residents to put up their buildings fully before demolishing them.

He said: “As a party, we have restrained ourselves in questioning the ineptitude of the Managing Director of TDC (Joseph Abbey) and today we are saying enough and the president should sack him without delay.”

He added: “We as a party cannot sit aloof for such an exercise which had the potential to generate a massive backlash for government to go without comment. The party is very much disappointed in the TDC for this exercise carried out without any human face.” The Tema Coordinating Committee is an amalgamation of NDC executives in the Tema East and West Constituencies.

SIGHT OF DEVASTATION

Hundreds of residents have been left homeless as a result of the demolition exercise.

A pregnant woman who gave her name as Naa told Joy News on Thursday afternoon, “we have lost everything, all the money that I have, we used it here; we have nowhere to sleep with the children.”

Another affected resident said, “We beg the NADMO people to come and help us to get somewhere to sleep because where we are sleeping the mosquitoes are biting us; we are suffering; since yesterday I have not eaten. It’s only water I have been drinking.”

A 10 year old class 4 pupil told the story of how he had been unable to go to school because his mother’s house was collapsed on his school uniform, bag and other items on Wednesday.

When asked why he was home on Thursday afternoon, he responded; “we are in the room, and they said they are coming to break our house, and they said we should pack all our things, and we forget, and we leave our dress, our money and our bags in the room and they break our room.”

Some residents were seen bathing and cooking in the open.

The National Disaster Management Organisation has since pitched camp at the demolished areas to register residents.

Head of Relief of the Tema NADMO office, Stephen Ocansey says relief items would only be made available after the registration exercise has been completed.

MP for the Area, Naa Toshie Addo, and former Minister for Local Government Samuel Ofosu Ampofo have visited the residents and donated relief items including food and bed nets to them.