General News of Thursday, 30 January 2003

Source:  

Traders Want Quick Action On Makola

Traders at the Makola "Annex two" Market whose properties got burnt last year, yesterday repeated their call on government to expedite action on the building of the market complex to accommodate them.

They also urged benevolent organizations to support them in putting up temporary structures to alleviate the plight of other colleagues who are now jobless.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the plight of the traders, Mr. Kwame Adu, Secretary of the Makola Second-hand Clothes Sellers Association commended the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for putting up 250 temporary structures for them.

He said they were however still awaiting government's promise of putting up the market complex so that brisk business would commence.

He said since the disaster, the traders were putting up with colleagues while others were virtually jobless making their living very difficult.

Mr. Adu said currently there are about 1000 traders who have been affected by the disaster and the association has had to share the few sheds offered them.

He said in order to have a fair share of the sheds, the traders had to ballot for them saying each shed was to be shared by three people.

A visit to the market showed that the burnt structure, which was fenced in, in August last year, is still untouched.

On August 12, last year, fire gutted the Makola Annex two market destroying several properties of the traders, hairdressers and tailors.