A former mayor of Accra, Nat Amartefio says decongesting Accra is a politically toxic thing to do and will remain an albatross on the neck of governments. He said until politicians muster the necessary political will to take difficult decisions and decongest the city, the nation’s capital will remain a national mess. Speaking on Joy FM’s Current Affairs Programme, Front Page, Mr. Amartefio said it was politically convenient for politicians to ignore sprawling city. He therefore called for formation of civil society organizations to put pressure on government and city authorities to structure the development of the capital. Quoting from an editorial of the June 20, 1892 edition of The Chronicle newspaper, Mr. Amartefio said the problem of Accra dates back to over a hundred years ago needed urgent measures to stem the tide. The Deputy Local Government Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, said the government was committed to taking the difficult decision of decongesting the city. He warned of difficult times ahead as the government will not relent in its efforts to ensure that buildings and other structures cited on water courses are removed. That he said will be necessary to deal with the perennial flooding in the city which results from unauthorized structures blocking the free flow of water. He said the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive (who called a planned decongestion exercise a few weeks ago) had presented an elaborate plan on the exercise to the president. That plan, Mr. Afriyie said will be studied and carefully executed to minimize pain on the people. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com