The La Shikitele, Nii Adjei Koofeh IV, has stated that the La Traditional Council was not formally engaged before the demolition of structures at the La Pleasure Beach Resort was carried out.
He said as a primary stakeholder and the landowner, they should have been alerted before the exercise.
The land in contention forms part of the land acquired by the government for the development of the Trade Fair in1967
The La Shikitele made this known at a press briefing in La yesterday after a meeting with government officials and other stakeholders at the National Security Council Secretariat.
The National Security Coordinator, according to the traditional leader, explained at the meeting that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) had engaged National Security to carry out the demolition as part of plans to redevelop the area.
SSNIT’s position was that the southern part of the beach area fell within land acquired for the development of the two hotels and, therefore, considered the beach area part of the property.
The council, however, disagreed, arguing that the land had been acquired from the La State without compensation and that nothing should be done on it without its involvement and engagement.
The council also pointed out that the southern portion referred to did not cover the entire beach area.
The National Security Coordinator also cited human security concerns as one of the reasons for the demolition.
According to the chief, SSNIT explained that the exercise was intended to pave the way for redevelopment because the condition of the area before the demolition did not befit the status of the two hotels.
The Labadi Beach Hotel is a five-star hotel, while the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel is a four-star hotel. The condition of the beach, the chief noted, could affect the reputation and patronage of the hotels.
Since the hotels are state-owned and were built with pensioners’ funds, redevelopment of the area to generate more value for the state was also presented as part of the justification for the project.
Engagement
The council, however, was unhappy with the approach taken because it had not been formally engaged before the demolition.
The chief said the council first received information about the intended exercise on September 16 from the Coalition of La Associations (COLA), which indicated that it had engaged the Director of Special Operations at the National Security, Richard Jakpa on the matter.
The council subsequently sought to engage the management of the Labadi Beach Hotel and invited the board chairman and managing director to a meeting.
The board chairman, however, was indisposed and requested two weeks.
Some political and local government officials later met the council and indicated that they had also heard about the intended demolition and were taking steps to prevent it.
The council was, therefore, surprised when the demolition began at about 3:30 a.m. the following Friday.
SSNIT and the National Security later apologised to the council for the lack of engagement before the exercise, according to the chief.
The council said it was awaiting the formation of the committee and would continue to update the people of La on developments.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for La-Dadekotopon, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, said she would nominate a representative to the committee to ensure that all stakeholders were involved in the discussions.
