Minister advises market operators to insure their wares

Mr Mark Woyongo, Defence Minister, had admonished market operators to insure their wares and properties to enable them make claims from Insurance companies should any eventuality occur.

The Defence Minister, who is also the Member Of Parliament for Navrongo Central, gave the advice on Monday at Navrongo when he toured the market to access the level of damage caused by the fire two weeks ago.

The minister, who presented items including 200 mattresses, 200 backets, 200 bed sheets, 200 pillows and 200 drinking cups to the District Assembly to be presented to the victims, explained that he had to solicit help from Ash Foam and other organizations when he was told about the incident.

He said he would solicit for more support, particularly roofing sheets, for the victims when he went back to Accra and commended Ash Foam for the support.

He expressed dissatisfaction about the lay out of the market and said there was no orderliness in the way the market was designed indicating that Navrongo as a municipality deserved a better lay out and market structures.

Mr Woyongo told the market operators that plans were far advanced to move them to a new market site and that work was being done to re-gravel the site and connect it to electricity to make trading there more comfortable.

He indicated that a consultant had furnished the district assembly with the new market lay out and it had been forwarded to the Ministry of Local Government for funds to execute the project.

He assured the affected market operators, who took loans from banks, that he would intervene on their behalf to ensure that the repayment of the loan was rescheduled and would also facilitate to ensure that they got additional loans from MASLOC.

One person was injured and was admitted at the Navrongo War Memorial Hospital and was treated and discharged. In all, about 98 people were affected and 20 market sheds raised down by the fire.

The Defence Minister was accompanied by the District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Andema, and other dignitaries.

Meanwhile a committee had been set up by the district assembly to investigate the cause of the fire and to make recommendations for redress.