Trading and hawking operating in the central business district of the Takoradi Market, which hitherto was forbidden by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), appears to be gaining notoriety day after day.
Following moves to reconstruct the Takoradi Market, the STMA begun to prepare a new site for the traders to use as a temporary market.
The old Port Quarters was therefore settled upon for preparation as a temporary place for the traders.
This led to the occupants of the place being served notice and being ejected, leading to the preparation of the place.
Currently, work is on-going at the new site, an indication that the traders and hawkers cannot move there until work was completed.
Worriedly and regrettably, as the new site preparation is under way, the STMA, together with the contractor for the Takoradi market reconstruction, have moved to wall off the market with iron sheets.
Traders and hawkers have had their sheds destroyed or relocated and have now turn their attention to selling in the open.
This has made hawking and trading around the markets despite the presence of the city guards.
For now, it is an open fact that the traders and hawkers have nowhere else to engage in their businesses because the new temporary market was not yet ready.
For some, they do not understand why the STMA and the contractor would go to the extent of walling the market when they knew the new temporary site was not ready.
Speaking on Kyzz 89.7FM, a radio station in Takoradi, the Public Relations Officer of the STMA, John Laste, admitted the new temporary site was not ready, and that preparations were underway to contain the traders immediately work was completed, but could not tell when work would be completed for the traders to move in.
The reconstruction of the Takoradi market is part of three monumental projects the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, cut sod for.
The other two are the PTC interchange and the 100 bed capacity hospital to serve the people of Shama.
Albeit the two projects (Interchange and the hospital) are yet to start since the sod cutting some seven months ago, while work on the reconstruction of the Takoradi market, on the other hand, has started gradually.
Per construction details, the old market would be razed to the ground and rebuilt. It is expected that the reconstruction would take about three to four years.
Following the walling of the market, traders who owned shops within it have moved out with a number still there.
Shops like Owo mu yie, Lucky Bazar, Agro chemical shops, Drug stores and others are yet to move out.
Hawkers were busy engage in business despite the fact that the market had been walled.
This reporter observed, however, that hawkers who were affected by the walling of the market have now adopted a new strategy to engage in business.
They have now spilled over extending their activities onto the road openly competing with drivers and other road users for space.
From PZ Cussons to the Market Circle Police Station, hawkers were seen displaying their wares on the fence wall.
There are others who have also packed their wares on the lanes and pavements reserved for pedestrians.
This sad spectacle could appear fatal for the lives of the hawkers.
In separate interviews with some of the traders and hawker, they told this reporter that because they were not captured in the registration of sheds to be built for them at the new market it was not wise to move.
The post STMA walls Takoradi Market despite new site not ready appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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