Lands Commission to Evoke Licences of Recalcitrant Surveyors

By Claude Nyarko Adams

The Lands Commission has threatened to revoke the licenses of surveyors who fail to work in conformity with standards in the profession.

Deputy Executive Secretary, in-charge of Corporate Services, Jones Ofori-Boadu, said the Commission would not hesitate to sanction a licensed surveyor who would sign a plan that was not in line with the profession's technical instructions.

So far this year, he said one licensed surveyor has had his license withdrawn and banned from practicing on behalf of the Lands Commission for engaging in some misconduct.

Mr Ofori-Boadu was speaking in Accra yesterday at the induction of 12 newly licensed surveyors. They include two females.

The induction brings to 152 the total number of licensed surveyors in active service out of the 362 in the roll.

According to him, the Commission was concerned about the growing disregard for laws and regulations of the profession by some licensed surveyors, stating that the Commission while encouraging members to strictly uphold the ethics of the profession would also apply the required sanctions on those found culpable.

This he said would serve as deterrent and ensure strict compliance for sanity to prevail in the industry.

"This year, we have withdrawn the license and placed an embargo on one member from practicing due to misconduct. This means within the past five years, two licensed surveyors have been sanctioned.

They signed a plan that was not appropriately checked and so the information on it was misleading," Mr Ofori-Boadu stated.

He said the staff strength of the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission was woefully inadequate to contain the workload thereby limiting the speed at which work result could be delivered and urged the newly inducted members to use their skills and knowledge to help advance the reforms agenda of the Commission.

The chairman of the Board of the Commission, Stephen Ayensu, said surveyors were crucial to the success of government's infrastructural and industrial development agenda which would require lands and urged the inductees to position themselves to offer the needed support.

Mr Amos Wuntah Wuni, Deputy Executive Secretary, in-charge of Operations, Lands Commission, urged the newly licensed surveyors to regularly pay their practicing fees to remain in good standing and diligently comply with the regulations to help build their competence.

In order to avoid sanctions, he advised the inductees not to sign any plan they did not prepare saying that "guard your signatures jealously and protect the license you worked so hard to acquire".

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