Videos: Kumasi bloc of MPs visit Suame Magazine fire victims
The Kumasi bloc of MPs have joined the leadership have paid a visit the Suame Magazine to access the impact of the fire outbreak that occurred a fortnight ago.
The entourage were Francis Asenso Boakye, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Lawyer John Darko, Michael Akwasi Aidoo and Lawyer Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, Members of Parliament of Bantama, Tafo Pankrono, Suame, Oforikrom and Manhyia South constituencies respectively.
The devastating fire caused extensive damage to several properties such as cars, spare parts, and oil marketing shops amounting to millions of Ghana cedis.
Investigation by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) revealed that a power outage started the inferno, affecting shops specialized in battery servicing, welding, spraying, lubrication services, lathe machine operations and many others.
Addressing the media on Monday, Chairman of the Kumasi bloc of MPs, Francis Asenso Boakye promised to collaborate with authorities in finding lasting solutions to prevent future fire disasters in the area, reaffirming their commitment to the well-being of the constituents.
The Bantama MP shared concerns regarding the fire’s potential causes, such as unplanned settlements, the use of temporary building materials, and the widespread practice of illegal electrical connections. He called for the immediate need for stricter safety regulations within the market and improved urban planning by relevant authorities.
“The primary cause of this is because all these informal business settlement and a place for these mechanics are not well planned and as a result anybody at all would just put up a structure and build something on it. Secondly, the materials they (settlers) use to build these structures are primarily temporal materials such as woods, plastic materials, etc, and when these catch fire, the spread becomes more devastating,” he stated.
Hon. Asenso Boakye disclosed that plans were underway to engage the various stakeholders including the government, traditional rulers, the garages associations, market Queens to come together and find a solution to this perennial fire outbreaks that are affecting businesses here in Kumasi.
He complained about the issue of illegal electrical connections in the settlement and lack of proper planning.
The former minister of Roads and Highways under Akufo-Addo administration also called on the Ghana Fire Service to enforce strict safety measures in this informal settlement and other areas to avert future fire outbreak.
For his part Member of Parliament for the Tafo Pankrono constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, admonished public and private entities to prioritize insurance schemes and interventions , to cushion victims of the perennial fires.
Ashanti Regional chairman of the Ghana National Association of Garages , Alhaji Lukeman Mohammed Nuhu Appiadu, appealed for technological facelift of the Suame Magazine to upgrade safety and innovativeness
embers of parliament in the following ten constituencies in Kumasi form the Kumasi bloc of MPs. They include Manhyia North, Manhyia South, Tafo Pankrono, Bantama, Suame, Kwadaso, Nhyiaeso, Subin, Oforikrom and Asokwa constituencies.
One of the core functions of the Kumasi bloc of MPs is to help promote the development of Kumasi.
