By Ragan M Conteh
For what he percieves as an indescriminate action on beach bars at Aberdeen, Lumley beaches, Hon Mohamed Bangura has called on parliament to summon the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
The MP from Karene district, Bangura said the ministry should provide answers in respective of the massive demolition at the aforementioned beaches in Freetown.
Hon. Bangura ne of the people’s representative of a constituency said MPs are concerned that the issue of bars demolition is very serious.
Therefore, he said, they wanted the relevant authorities involved to give answers on queries regarding the demolitions of bars and restaurants.
Reacting on the issue, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay admonised Hon. Bangura to do the needful by taking the matter to the committee on tourism.
It could be recalled that the second phase of the demolition exercise commenced on March 19, 2024 under the watchful eyes of the director of tourism, Mohamed Jalloh and the general manager of NTB, Fatmata Hamid Carew.
During that time, Mohamed Bah led the demolition team which was tasked to forcefully bring down several beach bars and structures along Lumley and Aberdeen.
They claimed that there were non-compliance by bar owners with tourism regulatory standards and planning requirements.
Prior to the demolition of the bars, property owners and occupants said they have still not understood the reasons leading to the demolition exercise.
The National Tourism Board’s manager, Madam Carew, at the usual government press briefing, told journalists that the aim of one of the phases of demolition was to enforce owners’ compliance with Freetown’s urban planning regulations.
Such as to improve structural aesthetic appeal, and to ensure that the beachfront aligns with the strategic vision for a tourism development in the area.
The tourism and NTB authorities had expalined that their action was never intentional.
“It is noteworthy that the process was not arbitrary, there was a conscious effort to engage with the proprietors and occupants of the affected structures,” a statement by authorities claim.