AMA, police clear traders from Accra pavements
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in collaboration with its task force and the Police, yesterday carried out an exercise to rid pavements of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and parts of the Central Business District of traders and hawkers.
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This was after the traders and other people who engaged in other unauthorised activities on the pavements had been served with notices two months ago to leave.
Seized items were burnt, so were tables and wooden and makeshift structures that were used by the traders.
Some of the affected people cooperated with the taskforce, while others resisted.
AMA
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer at the AMA, Numo Blafo II, reiterated that those trading on the pavements, as well as others who were engaged in other activities, were told to leave two months ago, in addition to continuous warnings from the assemblyman for the area and the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive.
“We met with them and told them to leave the pavements because they were creating nuisance. We invited their executives and made them aware that their activities brought rubbish onto the pavements, while the assemblyman for the area also spoke to them about the situation but they refused to leave the place and we had to go there today,” Numo Blafo II said.
He added that some of the affected traders only pretended to leave when they were asked to do so as the best they did was to move from one place to another.
He said that was why their tables and structures were broken and burnt to prevent them from coming back.
Traders
Some of the traders and hawkers who were affected by the exercise shared their grievances with the Daily Graphic.
A fruit seller who claims to be a widow, Madam Ama Diana, confirmed that they had been notified to leave the pavements before the eviction exercise, but most of them ignored the notices because they were using a demarcated area for their activities and they thought that place had been designated for them.
“Two weeks ago, we were asked to vacate the place. Before the election, we were allowed to use a demarcated place and we thought because of that we would not be affected. As a widow, I sell fruits for my family to survive. I went to buy some yesterday and they have taken away all the fruits I kept in my sack,” she complained.
“They came to draw the line for us to be able to sell within it but they are now sacking us and I want to know why they did this demarcation here if they knew they would move us from here one day,” she queried.
Another trader who deals in shoes, Mr Yaw Kyei, alleged that they were made to pay for the area to be demarcated for them to sell in view of the reconstruction of the area that affected the market where they used to be.
“I was here when this road was reconstructed. We used to be inside the market and we were asked to leave for the reconstruction of the place. This was followed by promises of giving us a permanent place after the work and we agreed without asking for any compensation. After the work, the assemblyman asked us to pay GH¢10 for the demarcation of the place and now they have sacked us,” he said.
“They lied to us before the elections. I went to Kyebi to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and now that they are in power, this is what we get from them. If they knew this was what they were going to do, they shouldn’t have asked us to pay to demarcate the pavement,” he added.
The general body of traders, however, said they were waiting on their executives to direct them to where they could peacefully go about their trading without the hindrances they had been experiencing.