Concord Times (Freetown)
Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh and Bryna Hallan
21 November 2008
Residents of New Town in Tombo have registered their dissatisfaction over ongoing plans to demolish some 18 houses for the construction of a new jetty; a project that is being funded by the African development bank, ADB.
Home owners feel the compensation they anticipate from government for their houses, some built after several years of toiling, was inadequate.
Community chairman Pa Ibrahim Kolenken Kamara said: "We do not expect them to compensate us for our houses, but to help us with the necessary building materials."
According to Amadu Kamara, who owns a house in the area, the home owners were offered Le 800, 000. "We did not agree. We were expecting at least Le 30 million for each house," he said.
Fatmata Sesay said she was expecting Le 60 million for her house, but ADB's response was that the money was too exorbitant.
Another problem was that tenants in the houses have stopped paying their rental to their landlords. Pa Kamara said some tenants felt there was no need to pay their landlords since the buildings will soon be demolished.
"Since the site have been given to them (ADB) for the construction of the new jetty at New Town, all tenants in our respective houses are no longer paying their house rent," he said, adding that landlords depend on those house rents to feed their families.
Abdul Kamara said residents have registered their dissatisfaction but there has been no favourable response.
"Everybody wants to have payment before demolition takes place. We are calling on the government to help see that our concerns are addressed," he said.
The planned jetty would be 150 metres long. It would include an ice plant, space for processing and storing fish, and a parking lot.
Manager, artisanal fishery development project Alpha Bangura told Concord Times that the people of New Town gave the land for development purposes, adding that the facility would be owned by the community.
"They first gave us the cemetery to construct the jetty but we refused. Later they decided to give us another land for the jetty to be constructed," he said.
Bangura said: "We do not need to compensate them. It is their own contribution to the community." He said plans are underway to commence the construction of the jetty to be completed in 2009.
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