The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has chastised the Ghana Railway Company for looking on while land allocated to the company was sold illegally by its own staff. He is calling the board of the company to investigate the matter and bring such unscrupulous persons to book. Otumfuo was addressing members of the Board of Ghana Railway Development Authority who called on him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi. The entire stretch of land along the railway line in Kumasi has been taken over by private developers who have put up both permanent and temporary structures. Despite attempts over the years by city authorities to stop such construction, some of which are storey buildings, the encroachers have always had their way. Board Chairman of the company, Dan Markin, who said he shared Otumfuo’s concerns later told Luv News encroachers will receive no compensation as the authority prepares to carry out demolition of illegal structures. He said all those with properties on the company's land have no permits, adding any talk of compensation will amount to legitimizing an illegality. The board was at the Manhyia Palace to brief the Otumfuo on planned revamping of the rail transport, and to seek his support for a demolition of all illegal structures on the company’s property. That they said is to pave way for a six billion dollar rail line from Ejisu in Ashanti Region to Paga in the Upper East Region. Mr. Markin stated the extent of encroachment along rail tracks in Kumasi, will compel the authority to divert parts of the line running through the metropolis because according to him, engineers had estimated it will be more expensive to remove all illegal structures to replace the tracks than to lay new ones. Story by Kwabena Ampretwum