Demo Hits KMA Boss

The decision by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to relocate traders and transport operators at Race Course, a vast area in the Ashanti regional capital, has incurred the wrath of the affected persons in the area, who have threatened to hit the streets. The relocation of the traders and transport operators has become necessary following the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II�s decision to allocate the huge tract of land for the construction of a multi-purpose marketing facility. Known as Sunshine City Ghana, the multi-purpose facility, which will include state-of-the-art residential facilities, hotels, commercial and recreational centers among others will be constructed by a South African company. The Asantehene, who owns the huge parcel of land, cut the sod for commencement of work late last year but the project is yet to begin due to the KMA�s inability to relocate the thousands of traders and transport operators, who ply their trade on the land. Under pressure to resettle the affected persons to enable work to begin, KMA has allocated three areas in the metropolis namely the Abenkyi area, Patasi and Kwadaso to the traders and transport owners. Though the allocated areas are ready, the traders and transport operators have turned deaf ear to numerous calls on them to relocate to enable the project, which will give Kumasi a major facelift to commence. As part of efforts to convince the affected persons to relocate, KMA officials, led by the special assistant to the Chief Executive, Clement Kigeli last Friday held a meeting with the traders and the transport operators at the Race Course. In spite of the assurance from the KMA officials that proper places had been earmarked for them, the traders and the transport operators made it clear that they would not relocate to the new places. They explained that they were not ready to relocate to new abode because they do not understand why authorities should ask them to pay for the cost of stalls and spaces. According to them, authorities did not ask wood workers at Anloga, who were relocated to the Sokoban Wood Village to pave way for the construction of the Asokwa interchange to pay monies. In view of this, the traders and transport operators stated categorically that until authorities rescind their decision to sell the allocated spaces to them, they would resist any attempt to evict them from their present location. They have announced plans to hit the streets to protest against the decision of Samuel Sarpong, the KMA boss, stressing that the three spaces allocated to them were woefully inadequate to accommodate 10, 000 traders and transport owners. In spite of these concerns, the KMA officials, at the meeting, insisted that the traders and transport have up to the end of June to relocate to enable the project take off. The insistence by KMA irritated the traders and transport operators who disrupted the meeting which was underway, bringing proceedings to an abrupt end. The KMA officials and media personnel, who were invited to cover the event, left the venue as the angry traders and transport operators hooted at them and threw things at their cars.