Attempts to remove an illegal car market around the Motorway roundabout in Tema was on Tuesday resisted by the car dealers, who said the issue was being handled by the Ministry of Works and Housing.

A task force comprising of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) and Police, therefore, had to suspend the exercise and invited the leaders for a meeting to amicably resolve the issue after a heavy down pour begun.

The task force, which was led by Mr John Agboado, Tema Regional Motor

Traffic Unit (MTU) Commander, had hired about six towing vehicles to forcibly tow the cars from the area to the Kpone Car Market.

The car market was created by the TDC two years ago at the cost of about five billion cedis to serve as a common place for all car dealers who have been squatting at unauthorised areas.

The strategic location of Tema as a port has created a big car market and people travel from all parts of the country to the city with the hope of buying cars at cheaper rates.

Last year, 35,467 vehicles were imported through the Tema port.

Mr Maxwell Osae-Addo, Secretary of Tema Progressive Car Dealers Association, however, said since they moved to the Kpone Car Market one and half years ago, their business has collapsed due to poor patronage.

Two months ago, they unilaterally moved to the Motorway Roundabout on their own because they found it to be more suitable and appealed to the Ministry to allocate the area and western gate of the Tema port for them to do their business.