Taskforce moves into action to evict Anloga wood workers

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Taskforce acting in concert with the Resettlement Committee moved into action on Wednesday morning to evict wood workers at Anloga in Kumasi who had refused to relocate to the Sokoban Wood Village. Amidst resistance, the taskforce removed some carpentry equipment and working tools into heavy duty trucks and transported them to the ultra-modern Village. The KMA�s deadline to the carpenters to move out to pave the way for the construction of the Oforikrom-Asokwa by-pass elapsed on August 24. The road project, funded by the French Agency for Development is behind schedule as a result of the intransigence of the wood workers. They insisted that there was not enough space to accommodate their numerical strength of about 4,000, therefore pleaded with the KMA for an extension of time. The carpenters also maintained that it was during this period of the year that they receive patronage of their products and for that matter, evacuating them would affect their businesses. Mr. Anderson Agboloso, an official of Geomodel Haulage and Construction Firm, contractors awarded the job to move heavy carpentry machinery at Anloga to the Wood Village, told the Ghana News Agency that they have six weeks to do so. He said they would carry out the assignment and would neither be intimidated nor threatened. Mr. Samuel Sarpong, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive warned that the Assembly would not tolerate any attempt to disrupt the exercise since the bypass project was getting delayed unnecessarily. Carpenters who refuse to leave the place would be arrested and prosecuted, he said.