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 Mr Osei Assibey Antwi
Mr Osei Assibey Antwi

We have not failed in decongestion exercise — KMA

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has said that it has never failed in the effort to decongest the central business district (CBD) of the metropolis.

According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the assembly, Mr Godwin Okumah-Nyame, although the assembly had encountered some challenges in its effort to decongest the city centre, that must not be misconstrued as failure.

He said the assembly had, at all times, put a human face to its activities geared towards sanitising the city centre.

“For instance, during the Christmas, we accepted a request by the traders to allow them to make some sales,” he said.

A similar request was granted during the observation of the final funeral rites of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem.

Mr Okumah-Nyame said with the completion of phase one of the Kejetia/Central Market Redevelopment Project, plans were underway to reopen the roads that were closed to traffic.

He assured traders and all residents that the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, and the entire assembly were working hard to bring the best to Kumasi and that very soon the city centre would be sanitised.

Regional Minister’s briefing

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, has briefed journalists in Kumasi on plans to reopen the Kejetia roads that were closed.

He said as part of the road map towards the official opening of the roads to traffic, the KMA had been embarking on public education and sensitisation to inform the traders/hawkers that none of them would be allowed to trade on the pavements and streets or at any open space around the project site.

Besides, he said, the KMA told them to relocate to the satellite markets within and beyond the metropolis, including the Race Course, the Nana Afia Kobi Market, the Bohyen, Adumanu, Abrepo, Atonsu, Old Tafo and Bantama markets.

Mr Osei-Mensah said the roads would be opened strictly to traffic and not traders.

He further stated that the opening of the roads would not mark the official opening of the Kejetia project.

METSEC

He said the Metropolitan Security Council (METSEC), made up of the various security services, visited the CBD on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 to observe at first-hand the situation on the ground, as well as inform and educate the traders on the need to relocate to the various satellite markets in Kumasi to pave way for the opening of the roads around the Kejetia Redevelopment Project.

“The Transport Department and the Transport Sub-committee of the assembly also met the leadership of the various commercial transport unions to sensitise them to measures being put in place for the successful opening of the roads in order to reduce traffic in the city, most especially at the CBD,” he said.

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