It was a grief-stricken sight at the Kumasi Central Business District (CBD) on Wednesday morning as hawkers who were engaged in brisk economic activities within the area bemoaned the destruction of their structures.
In line with the declared decongestion exercise which kick-started in the metropolis on Wednesday, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) pulled down and burnt into ashes, unauthorized structures used by hawkers for their business activities within the CBD area.
Led by Samuel Sarpong, KMA Chief Executive and members of the decongestion committee, city guards, with assistance of a combined team of police and military personnel, began the demolition of illegal structures as early as 4.30 am.Some of the areas affected by the first phase of the month-long exercise included Adum, Dr Mensah, Central Market, Kejetia, Roman Hill, Alabar, Morocco area and Aboabo station. As early as 6.00am, the personnel charged with the responsibility of effecting the exercise had done justice with their mandate as they had demolished all unauthorized structures within the afore-mentioned areas.
The development saw the CBD area witnessing for the first time in several months, free movement of persons and vehicles, devoid of the usual hustle and bustle due to congestion in the area. The hawkers, who reported to their various locations in the morning only to witness their structures being set ablaze, could not hold back their tears as they looked on helplessly while their structures continued to burn.
Devastated by the unfortunate development, the affected hawkers who numbered over 2,000, descended heavily on Mr. Sarpong and his men, describing the action as cruelty of the highest order. The aggrieved hawkers lambasted KMA for failing to provide them an alternative place for their activities before embarking on the exercise to get rid of them.
Meanwhile, as part of measures aimed at sustaining the exercise, Mr. Sarpong told a news conference that a team of security personnel would be stationed at various locations to prevent the hawkers from coming back to the place. Again, he announced that the assembly had set up a special tribunal to prosecute recalcitrant hawkers who would defy the security arrangement and come back to the decongested areas.
The tribunal, which would be presided over by Justice Adjei Frimpong of the KMA circuit court, according to the KMA boss, would fine as well as sentence culprits brought before it.
Though previous exercises failed to accomplish its mission, Mr. Sarpong promised that this time around, he would do everything possible within his means to ensure that the exercise succeeds. It would be recalled that a week ago, KMA declared its intention of embarking on a decongestion exercise within the CBD area as part of measures aimed at ensuring that Kumasi regained its lost glory as the Garden City of West Africa. Against the backdrop of ensuring a smooth take off of the exercise, the assembly forewarned hawkers within the CBD area to voluntarily vacate from their various places to avert any eventualities.
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