The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has directed all district assemblies to halt all ongoing decongestion exercises in markets and other places within their jurisdictions.

The directive, which took effect last Wednesday, said, ?All acting metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives are directed to halt all ongoing decongestion exercises within markets and other areas within their assemblies.?

The directive, however, does not affect decongestion exercises already carried out by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in the central business district of Accra and in some areas in the Kumasi metropolis, as well as other districts.

A memo dated April 27, 2005, and signed by a deputy minister for local government and rural development, Mr K. Poku-Adusei, accordingly advised acting chief executives to seek clearance from the sector ministry before embarking on any decongestion exercise within their assemblies.

The memo was addressed to all regional ministers and copied to all acting metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives and the chief of staff and minister for presidential affairs.

Explaining the rationale behind the directive in an interview, Mr Poku-Adusei said the Government could not sit down and look on unconcerned while market women and men were displaced without the provision of an alternative place for them to sell their wares.

He said notwithstanding the fact that the decongestion exercises were meant to promote sanity in the districts, it was imperative that the livelihood of traders was protected.

The Government, he stated, had the interest and the well-being of Ghanaians at heart and would, therefore, do everything within it means to sustain that, adding, government cares for the people and would, therefore, not sit down and watch them being booted out without any solution.?

According to the deputy minister, it was important for district assemblies to find alternative places for market women before embarking on any future decongestion exercises.