The Municipal Chief Executive for Ayawaso Central, Rudolph Collingwood-Williams, says the Assembly could not immediately take action on the building that collapsed at Accra New Town because it was awaiting a technical assessment from engineers.
Speaking to JoyNews after the incident on Sunday, March 29, Mr Collingwood-Williams explained that the Assembly needed expert advice from the Accra East Laboratory (AEL) before deciding whether to demolish or secure the structure.
According to him, taking action without proper testing would have amounted to guesswork.
“Most often, when you go in as a lay person and take certain decisions, the technical men can come in and tell you that you went too far,” he said.
He added that the Assembly had therefore contacted “the appropriate experts to advise” before any decisive intervention.
The MCE said the process is standard, noting that authorities cannot simply pull down buildings without understanding the structural defects.
He stressed that if engineers had advised demolition earlier, “we would have immediately gone ahead to do that.”
The collapse occurred while worshippers had gathered on the premises, triggering renewed concerns about structural safety in Accra’s older neighbourhoods.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com