By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, May 19, GNA – Traders at the Takoradi Central Market have embarked on a demonstration to drum home their frustration over the government’s inability to complete the stalled Takoradi Market Circle redevelopment project.
The protestors, clad in red, marched through some principal streets of Takoradi demanding the government to begin processes to ensure immediate completion of the project.
They carried placards with inscriptions like “Broken promises, broken livelihoods”, “We want action, not excuses”, “Traders are citizens too, hear us out”, and “Takoradi Central Market, a case of broken promises.”
Others read, “Restore hope, restore our market”, “Traders need support, not silence”, “A complete market means better lives”, and “The market circle project is dead, trotro and taxi stations are now cemeteries,” among others.
Madam Lamisi Adam, one of the convenors of the protest, said the stalled Takoradi Market Circle Redevelopment project was hampering economic activities for traders who were relocated to pave the way for the project.
She said: “Five years ago, the then NPP government informed us that the Takoradi Central Market structure was weak and needed to be demolished and rebuilt, so we were relocated to a temporary site with a promise that the new market would be ready within two years.
“However, the temporary arrangement has turned out to be a financial burden on us.”
Madam Adam noted that despite promises by the government, the old market was still nowhere near completion.
“Sources from the grapevine even indicate the new structure when completed, may not even accommodate the original number of traders who were relocated,” she added.
She, therefore, urged the government to intervene and provide a clear timeline for the completion of the project, saying, “Most of the traders have either died or become bedridden because of this pitiful and distressing situation we are going through.”
Mr Desmond Tyro, the Chief Executive Officer of Mayor’s Tap, a company dealing in computer and accessories, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the stalled project was causing inconveniences for shops, offices, and businesses around the market.
He said: “This redevelopment project has caused so many inconveniences like heavy vehicular traffic many a time, and those of us who have shops around this area see this as a problem; so the government must complete it as soon as possible.”
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Emmanuel Gamson