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Day four of the city’s decongestion effort, which aims to restore pedestrian access and enforce the Assembly’s Red Line mandate, saw the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task team remove a shop extension at Tudu following several warnings.
The demolition was done on Wednesday in response to an order from Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, the mayor of Accra, who claimed that the canopy extension had blocked the pavement and restricted public usage of the path.
Speaking to vendors during the operation, the mayor emphasised that the pavements were state property intended for everyone and could not be regarded as a commodity, and he would not permit commercial interests to take over public space.
He said he had given his team instructions to clearly state that the trade area was not for sale and that he was not collecting money from anyone.
The mayor stated that he was committed to maintaining the Red Line’s visibility and enforcement and that the decongestion project would continue in spite of criticism from some sectors. He described the initiative to clear streets and regulate trading as a lasting legacy he wished to leave.
He asked merchants with permanent stores to refrain from enlarging their stores into public pathways, stating that the Assembly’s actions were meant to safeguard livelihoods for people who could not afford stores.
In order to make place for others, he threatened to remove any dealer who occupied both a shop and an extra section of the pavement.
The Mayor issued a warning, stating that no one had the power to stop fellow Ghanaians from conducting business in authorised areas and that the AMA would step in if someone tried to use money or power to prohibit others from doing business.
He emphasised that public space should benefit the entire community, not just a select few, and that the exercise was centred on helping the impoverished and needy.
Reiterating that the area belonged to the government and would be governed in the public interest, he also threatened to remove traders who refused to let others work peacefully alongside them.
The Mayor started his day-four tour earlier in the day, travelling from Kinbu Road to the Central Business District and CMB. There, he saw what he called “improved compliance with the Red Line directive,” praising vendors who had moved behind the demarcations and telling those whose surroundings were unclean to sweep and collect trash.
Source: newsthemegh.com
