Tension has erupted at parts of the Kasoa New Market in the Central Region after the Awutu Senya East office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) began a demolition exercise to pave the way for the government’s proposed 24-hour economy market project.
The operation, which affected the corn milling area and the “Agbelema” section of the market, saw several unfinished structures pulled down, while other shops have also been marked for demolition in the days ahead.
The move sparked anger among traders, who say they were not adequately informed and feel left out of the planning process.
Some of the affected traders told journalists they built their shops using personal loans and are worried about losing their investments without compensation or relocation support.
“We took loans to put up these structures, but now they want to demolish them without compensation or even giving us an alternative place to trade,” one trader lamented.
They are therefore calling on authorities to urgently provide compensation and allocate an alternative trading space before further demolitions continue.
SOT 1…. AFFECTED NEW MARKET TRADERS
Responding to the concerns, the Awutu Senya East NADMO Director, Mr. Nash Nyandey, said extensive stakeholder consultations had already been conducted prior to the exercise.
He assured that all traders with valid ownership documents would be compensated accordingly.
According to him, the demolition forms part of preparations for the rollout of the 24-hour market initiative, which is expected to boost commercial activity and improve trading conditions in Kasoa.
ALSO READ:
