Anxiety has gripped retired and serving railway workers occupying bungalows on railway lands at Adum in Kumasi.

This follows a three-month eviction notice allegedly issued by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

The affected occupants, some of whom say they have lived in the enclave for over 30 years, fear they could be rendered homeless if the directive is enforced without an alternative arrangement.

The Adum railway enclave served as a residential area for workers of the then Ghana Railway Corporation, now the Ghana Railway Company Limited. Over the years, it has housed both active staff and pensioners who retired from the service, many of whom have raised families there.

A visit to the enclave revealed a cluster of aged bungalows, some in a deteriorating state, and newly erected wooden structures, all marked with red paint and notices bearing the KMA insignia. The notices gave the residents three months to vacate the premises.

Speaking at a press conference, a former Principal Sales Officer of the Ghana Railway Company, Emmanuel Quani Mensah, said the notice has thrown the entire community into distress.

According to him, many of the occupants dedicated the best part of their productive lives to the railway sector, yet have been neglected after retirement.

He revealed that some pensioners, including those who retired over ten years ago, are still occupying the premises because their retirement benefits have not yet been fully paid by the government.

"Many of us retired over ten years ago and are yet to receive our full retirement packages from the government. If they insist we vacate this place, they must first pay us what we are owed, because we have nowhere else to go. This is the only home we have known," Mr. Mensah said.

The development comes at a time when the government has announced renewed efforts to protect public lands, recover encroached railway lands, and revamp the railway sector as part of its infrastructure drive.

Some retired and active staff members questioned why they were being asked to vacate railway property, given the government's repeated assurances that railway lands and assets are not for sale.

They claim their own findings indicate the railway land has been acquired by a private developer, fueling growing suspicion in the community.

"The government, through the Ghana Railway Development Authority, has made it clear that railway lands and buildings are state assets and are not for sale. So we are surprised that we are being asked to leave. Who is behind this eviction? We need answers," they stressed.

They are questioning the basis for the proposed eviction and are calling on the authorities to clarify the ownership and status of the land before any action is taken.

"We’re asking authorities to clarify the ownership status of the Adum railway land, halt any private takeover, and consider our long service and current plight before taking any decision that would displace us," said a resident.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has confirmed plans to undertake an evacuation exercise at the Adum railway enclave, but has refuted claims that the land has been sold to a private developer.

The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, dismissed speculations about the sale of state assets, insisting the exercise is being carried out solely in the interest of public safety and security.

According to him, it is untenable for the Assembly to sell property belonging to another state institution.

"It is not possible to sell an asset that belongs to a state institution. The claims making the rounds should be disregarded," he said. "We are not interested in what they are talking about. We are embarking on this exercise purely on safety and security grounds."

Mr. Boadi explained that the decision was necessitated by a recent fire outbreak in the enclave, which exposed the difficulty emergency services face in accessing the area.

"Recently, the place was engulfed by fire. We were only lucky that officers of the Ghana National Fire Service had just returned from attending to another fire incident when they received the distress call. Even then, they struggled to access the area to quench the fire," he recounted.

He said the Assembly has been technically advised to open up the enclave to allow for easy access by emergency responders.

"We have been technically advised to create access routes to enable emergency services to reach those quarters in times of distress," he added.

He therefore urged the occupants to voluntarily vacate the area before the deadline expires, warning that the Assembly will be compelled to forcibly evict them if they fail to comply.