Traders to be relocated in November

Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - Hawking on Accra streets would be over by November 1 2006 when the Pedestrians Shopping Mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle is opened to accommodate hawkers and traders registered by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

The Mayor of Accra, Stanley Adjiri Blankson, who announced this at a press conference on Wednesday, said the city centre would be thoroughly decongested and would remain so forever. Those who would fall foul of the law would be arrested and prosecuted.


He said sanity would be brought back to the streets of Accra to boost tourism.


Mr Blankson said traders, who would be allocated stalls at the Mall, would be required to pay two million cedis allocation fee; 200,000 cedis registration fees, provide two passport-sized photographs for their identification cards and sign an undertaking to abide by the rules governing the use of the Mall.


Traders to be accommodated at an open space at the Mall would pay one million cedis allocation fees; a registration fee of 100,000 cedis; provide two passport-sized photographs for identification cards and sign an undertaking to abide by the rules governing the use of the Mall. He said work on supporting facilities including a warehouse, Police, Fire and Health Posts and a Day Care Centre would continue while the Mall was in use.


The Mayor said 36 security lights would be provided and expressed the hope that the arrangements put in place would curb the misuse of electricity supply and reduce the incidence of fire outbreaks as well as ward off undesirable element, who might wish to undermine the hawkers' business.


Mr Blankson said other facilities such as a micro-credit funding would be made available to the hawkers to expand their businesses while the Odaw drain would be de-silted.

On measures to inject sanity into the transport operations during the 93Ghana @ 50=94 celebrations, the Mayor said drivers operating in the Metropolis would be required to wear uniforms while all taxis would be required to be in a uniform colour with registration numbers boldly written for easy identification.


All commercial drivers would also procure standardised refuse bags to be provided by the AMA for use in their vehicles, saying that their knowledge of basic road signs would also be tested.


On revenue mobilisation, he said the AMA had collected 10 billion cedis in two months as business operating permit fees in a just ended successful revenue mobilisation programme.


=93Starting next week management members would move from house to house, building to building, structure to structure to collect property rates ...and no excuses would be entertained", he said, adding that structures not covered by AMA permit were illegal.


He called on the citizens to stand up and restore sanity into society by effectively creating the platform for dialogue to combat the plastic waste menace head on.


The Mayor gave a final warning to property owners, who had converted toilets and bathroom into rental units, to revert to the original plan of their houses before January 1 2007 or face prosecution.