Kumasi — ALHAJI HASSAN Luckman Kankatu, Chief Executive of Accra based Civil and Building Services Engineers, Orotund Investments, has called for the resignation of Miss Patricia Appiagyei and Mr. Charles Ampomah Mensah, Metro Chief Executive and City Engineer respectively of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

Alhaji Luckman, is accusing the two KMA officials of what he called criminal negligence, imputing incompetence and carelessness in the implementation of a demolition exercise carried out in the night of April 2 and 3, 2007 on H/No. Z.E.54 among others at Alabar, in Kumasi.

Alhaji Luckman, also the landlord of the said house, explained that the call for their resignation stemmed from the fact that the two acted in violation of the basic rudiments of engineering techniques and that for the exercise to have taken place at a time inmates of the said house and residents of the community were fast asleep was in contravention of international convention.

According to Luckman, the exercise is being carried out with no regard for law, propriety, good conscience or moral acceptability hence the call for their resignation.

He said in marking a building for demolition, either partial or complete demolition is considered in which case a detailed survey and examination of the building is made because demolition is dangerous and must be carried out skillfully.

Alhaji Luckman, himself a Civil Engineer, indicated that before any partial demolition is done, it is usual and proper to carefully remove all saleable items which exercise requires a good comprehensive knowledge of building construction and design so that load bearing members and walls can be correctly identified and adequately supported by struts and props and that most partial demolition works are carried out manually using pick axes and hammers.

In the case of H/No. Z.E. 54 to which a structure was attached, no such rudiments were followed thus endangering the main house and lives.

He questioned the technical expertise of the engineering department of KMA used to demolish the structures.

He said the exercise of the discretion to demolish structures must be supported by a fairly solid knowledge of the law, structural engineering, a strong capacity for mental discipline and the ability to anticipate possible legal and technical hurdles during the process. He said Miss Appiagyei clearly abused her power of discretion.

The aggrieved complainant indicated that in structural demolition, no two cases are the same and that the best approach is one of flexibility and creative thinking.

According to Luckman, the job of separating structural demolition into cases should never be viewed as merely a routine procedure where precaution and safety standards are thrown to the dogs.

"A good CEO/Engineer should allow his imagination to constantly remind him that the events he is handling in each case concern real people and that those decisions would affect lives" he advised.

He further advised that decisions should be devoid of emotion and prejudice and never be based on whims, politics or ethnicity.

By ignoring engineering techniques, Alhaji Luckman observed that the KMA had a sinister motive and that the demolition was deliberate, calculated, selective and mischievous and asked the KMA to render an unqualified apology for the critical lapse of judgment.

He would also want the KMA to sign a bond or pledge to carry out their duties ethically with precaution and safety standards for the welfare of the residents of Kumasi, of which the KMA is a development agent.

Alhaji Luckman is also demanding adequate compensation and reparation for the structural damage to houses by their exercise, which caused mental trauma, agony and distress to landlords and members of the household of the affected houses whose lives were imperiled by the demolition.

He believed that the KMA boss' actions were out of vengeance for losing the Asawase seat to a Zongo boy hence the show of muscle and power displayed by fair or foul means.

Meanwhile, concerned citizens of Alabar, a suburb of Kumasi have criticized the nocturnal demolition of structures by the KMA saying the exercise was a violation of the rights of the people as citizens.

The petitioners have called on the Presiding Member of the Assembly, Baffour Adjei Kesse IV, the Adumhene of Kumasi to call the KMA to order in order not to promote lawlessness and a state of anarchy.

They have, however, called for restraint on the part of the residents of Alabar and asked them not to take the law into their own hands to react to the insensitivity of the KMA.

The affected residents have been urged to seek redress by following the laid down procedure, legally and morally as good men and not fight ills of the evil with evil.

Meanwhile, Luckman is contemplating filing a lawsuit against the KMA if it does not take steps to pay compensation and repair damages done to houses as a result of the exercise. Pix: H/No. ZE 54, which was affected by the demolition exercise.