The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced a major crackdown on illegal sand winning in the constituency, blaming the practice for worsening the devastating floods that displaced thousands of residents.
Speaking after touring flood-hit communities and distributing relief items to affected residents, Mr George said he had formally notified traditional leaders that the Ningo-Prampram District Assembly, together with the police and the military, would begin a sustained operation to halt the illegal activity.
“I’ve served notice, and I’ve served notice in front of all the chiefs. The three communities we’ve been at today have had chiefs present, and I’ve served notice to the chiefs and the people that, working with my District Chief Executive, the police and the military, we will begin a massive clampdown on sand winning,” he declared.
Describing the practice as the constituency’s version of galamsey, Mr George said illegal sand winning was causing severe environmental degradation and exposing communities to repeated flooding.
“Sand winning is illegal. It is damaging the ecosystem. The flooding we’re seeing here is simply because of the pits that are being created. It’s simply because the topsoil that should absorb the water is being excavated, and those trucks are damaging the roads. We got asphalt done in 2016 by President Mahama; it’s all gone because these trucks are damaging the roads,” he lamented.
Mr George commended the traditional leadership in Old Ningo for distancing itself from the illegal activity, revealing that the Paramount Chief had abolished levies previously collected from sand winners.
“You heard the chief here in Old Ningo, the Paramount Chief of Ningo, say that since he was enstooled, the traditional council stopped collecting levies from sand winners. So the traditional council is against it, and the District Assembly has by-laws against it,” he said.
Despite those measures, he noted that operators had continued their activities under the cover of darkness.
“But you see these sand winners come and do this operation at 1 a.m. If they are there at 1 a.m., we’ll meet them there at 1 a.m. We’re going to clamp down on it,” he warned.
The MP stressed that the enforcement exercise would not spare anyone found violating the law and urged residents not to interfere when arrests begin.
“We cannot, for the greed of a few people, destroy the livelihoods and lives of thousands of people. This is our own form of galamsey, and we’ll fight it here locally,” he said.
Mr George further disclosed that the recent floods had imposed a significant financial burden on the constituency, forcing resources intended for development projects to be redirected to emergency relief efforts.
He lamented that funds used to procure food items, mattresses and other relief supplies for displaced residents could otherwise have financed major educational infrastructure.
“The funds I have had to spend on relief items for flood victims could have been used to build ten six-unit classroom blocks,” he said.
He therefore appealed to residents to support the authorities by reporting illegal sand-winning activities, insisting that protecting the environment and preserving public infrastructure required collective action.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
