Several Stores and Offices at Haatso Station in the Domi-Kwabenya Municipality of the Greater Accra Region were demolished in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to the aggrieved shop owners, a grace period of one week only was made available to them to relocate; a time-space, which has been described as woefully short.
President of the Haatso Market Shop Owners Association (MSOA), Alice Sena Lamptey, said “her outfit is not against the re-development of a new station. they however lament that the Dome-Kwabenya Assembly should have engaged them more on the intended re-development exercise before such an act was taken.”
“We are not against any re-development of any market or this market, our problem is that they should have engaged us first before the demolishing exercise was taken,” she said
Other shop owners who had their shops demolished also expressed their frustrations. According to them, Authorities should have informed them or even negotiated with them before they began with the exercise.
“They did not sit to negotiate with us. they are using their veto power they have to do it. You cannot come to destroy someone’s property just like that. I even expected the policemen to do something but said nothing.”
Municipal Director, NADMO – Seth Osei Kofi briefing the media The Municipal Director of NADMO at the Assembly, Seth Osei Kofi, explained the rationale behind the demolishing Exercise.
“Actually, this is about a new market the Assembly want to set-up, and for a period of one year we have been engaging with sellers here about this new market. within the time we serve them the notice, we were securing for funds to establish the market. We again served them another one year notice before we started the demolishing exercise today. It is not true if they say we did not serve them any notice.” he said
Their demands from the government is to come to their aid to settle the matter
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