` Awutu-Bawjiase (C/R), Nov 10, GNA - The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service have been tasked to assess property destroyed in the recent fire outbreak at the Kasoa market.

Mr Solomon Quarshie Abbam Quaye, District Chief Executive for the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District speaking to the Ghana News Agency on Friday at Auwutu-Bawjiase in the Central Region, said this would enable the District Assembly to know the exact number of traders affected. He said the assembly would then send a report to the Regional Coordinating Council in Cape Coast for it to be forwarded to government for assistance.

Fire gutted the Kasoa Market last Tuesday morning destroying goods estimated at billion cedis.

The DCE said the Assembly would set up a committee of enquiry to investigate the cause of the fire since some goods were off loaded into the warehouse it started on the eve of the incident. The warehouse owned by the Odupongkphe Market Retailers Association did not have electricity connection but preliminary reports from the Fire Service and NADMO indicated that it started from the ground to the top.

Mr Quaye said the government had paid compensation to the people whose buildings were demolished to make way for the construction of the Accra-Cape Coast Highway. He said that the Assembly would continue to remove unauthorised structures and blocks situated at sites earmarked for streets and other development and in waterways at Kasoa and Awutu Bereku. The DCE said a notice was given in July but they refused to comply and a meeting was held with the affected people at Awutu Bawjiase in September this year with an ultimatum for them to do so by October ending. Mr Quaye who is a citizen of Awutu Bawjiase stressed his determination to continue with the exercise and pointed out that nothing would discourage him from doing what was right for the Awutu Traditional Area and the future generation.