
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has disclosed that yam and tomatoes sellers are next in the ‘Let’s Make Accra Work’ agenda to be relocated to Adjen-Kotoku, in the Ga West Municipality, following the eviction of onion sellers from the Agbogbloshie market.
He said the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would engage the unions of traders of yam and tomatoes to facilitate their relocation by October this year.
According to him, the filthy gutters and activities of some individuals in the area pose threat and raise concerns, hence warranting the relocation. He added that the government would leave no stone unturned in this endeavour.
Mr Quartey made this known yesterday in Accra after the onion sellers at Agbogbloshie were moved to the Adjen-Kotoku market following the government’s seven-week ultimatum.
Before the expiration of the ultimatum, some of the traders had already relocated with their goods to the new market.
The government, through the RCC, effected a demolition exercise starting from the Central Mosque through to the banks of Korle Lagoon, around Agbogbloshie Police Station, to decongest the area.
Various structures, including shops and kiosks, have been pulled down to ensure strict compliance from the traders.
A joint security taskforce, made up of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Fire Service, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), National Ambulance Service, among others, was deployed to ensure a smooth operation in the area.
When this paper visited the Agbogbloshie market yesterday, heavy duty equipment were available to pull down structures and clear the debris to ensure proper sanitation in the area.
Workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company Limited were also present to monitor and ensure the safety of electric cables and water pipelines.
Eruption
Meanwhile, the demolition exercise became near-bloody after some aggrieved squatters and scrap dealers engaged in pelting of stones and shooting of live ammunitions at the security personnel.
The joint security taskforce operation, in retaliation, was compelled to shoot tear gas and warning shots to disperse the rioting youth in order to gain access to quench fire allegedly set by the youth in protest of the exercise.