The Wli waterfall in the Hohoe District of the Volta Region, which is one of the major tourist attractions in the region, is going to waste.

This is because the reception to the facility has been closed down, no fees are collected from the tourists to the waterfall and no guards are there to take them around to explore the sight. All these are the result of a High court ruling which ordered the seizure of the assets of the waterfall company to be sold to pay for compensation for the land on which the company was operating.

The Government acquired two parcels of land- one on which the Wli Water fall company operates and the other for the Jasikan Dis¬trict Assembly as far back as the 1990s.

After waiting for a long time without any compensation being paid, the land owners initiated legal action against the Government through the Attorney General and obtained judgement in 2008.

In the Wli case, after the land was acquired, the properties on the land comprising palm trees and buildings were valued by the Volta Regional Lands Valuation Board (LVB) at over GH¢ 4.5 million.

After a long wait for the com¬pensation, which was not forthcom¬ing the land owners, represented by Mr. John Awlisu and Emmanuel Ofori, filed the suit against the Government represented by the Attorney-General’s Department,

Ministry of Land and Forestry on August 14, 2007 for compensation and any interest that might have accrued over the period.

After the failure of the defen¬dants to appear before the court any time the case was called, the court gave judgment in favour of the plaintiffs on July 21, 2008.

In his ruling, Justice Essel Mensah ordered the assets on the Wli Waterfalls, including its vehicles, office equipment and structures, to be confiscated and sold to defray the cost of compensation.

On the same day, the court also made another rulling in favour of Nana Sankrankyi Attah, the Abusuapanyin Bentiamina Clan of the Buem Traditional Area, the plaintiff in the case of Jasikan parcels of lands.

In his ruling, the Judge, Justice Essel Mensah remarked that the non-payment of compensation on land acquired had the potential to cause chaos and disorder since in such areas the people have re-entered those lands acquired by the Government.

However, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Herman Con-dobbery, has expressed surprise at the decision of the court and said compensation was being paid to the land owners whose land had been acquired for the creation of the Wli Waterfalls.

This, he said, was done from proceeds of gate fees charged for the use of the waterfall to the owners. He said it was only the family of Mr. Awlisu who had refused to take any compensation.

Ghanadistricts.com/DS