[allAfrica.com] Gov't Commences Demolition of Structures The Analyst (Monrovia) NEWS November 15, 2006 Posted to the web November 15, 2006 By J. Edwood Dennis 24 hours after President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf ordered the demolition of make- shift structures in the city of Monrovia, several have already been demolished by the Ministry of Public Works in keeping with the mandate while some owners also went ahead demolishing theirs. Owners of make-shift structures erected at streets corners, especially Broad Street, Monrovia's busiest street, were seen removing the roofs and breaking down their structures. It may be recalled that during the official launch of the Monrovia City 2006/ 2007 Action Loan and Trust Fund Monday, Pres. Johnson-Sirleaf said the central government would back the Monrovia City Corporation to enforce the City Zonal Code Plan, ordering the Ministry of Public Works to begin demolishing structures erected in non-zonal confines. That besides, she said the construction of make-shifts were posing problem to beautifying Monrovia and putting it on par with modern cities around the world. One of those structures affected by the demolition is to offices of the Liberian Express Newspaper on Broad Street, opposite the Museum, owned by former Press Union of Liberia (PUL) President James Kaizulu. When our who watched the initial stage of the exercise endeavor to engage to views of Mr. Kiazulu, he was told that he was out of the area, but a source close to him said their agency acquired the spot to construct the now destroyed structure through the Monrovia City Corporation. Also broken down was the HI-TECH System office in the middle of Broad Street opposite the Bureau of Immigration & Naturalization (BIN). Young men were seeing packing broken blocks, zinc, ceilings and other items. Efforts by our reporter to talk to the guy apparently left in charge of the destroyed structure did not materialize as he continuously said "My dear leave me alone, I'm not ready to talk about this unpleasant and frustrated situation". Bill boards constructed for advertisement were also pulled to the ground in full implementation of the president mandate. On Snapper Hill, right before the B.W. Harris School adjacent the Ophelia International Travel Agency, many structures have already been marked by the Ministry of Public for possible removal. Watching the demolition of makeshift structures, a student of B.W. Harris who begged for anonymity wondered the exigency of the exercise without any ample time given for those concerned to find relocations. Agreeing that the government has the right to ensure city ordinance, he however said while they are breaking down structures, they should maintain those areas to avoid people throwing dirt. A petty trader who stood in despair watching the demolition exercise said he was frustrated over the government policy noting that following the removal of marketers from the streets, the downsizing and rightsizing policy which has thrown more people out of jobs, the government was again breaking down market stores. =============================================================================== Copyright © 2006 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ===============================================================================