Accra, April 19, GNA - The United Petty Traders' Association of Ghana on Tuesday appealed to the Ministry of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City to expedite action on relocating four major lorry stations and markets in the Accra Metropolis.

These include the relocation of the Aflao Lorry Station at Makola to the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange Area; Abuja/CMB Station at Okaishie to Weija and the Cape Coast Station to Mallam Junction. Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Desmond Donkor, Chairman of the Association, urged the Government to release funds to enable the various projects to begin.

He said the Association was ready to provide a list of its members to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to assist in relocating them. Mr Donkor said since the AMA carried out the decongestion exercise 11 weeks ago, it had rendered more than 70,000 of its members jobless and heavily indebted to their suppliers and bankers countrywide. They said their goods were being auctioned and sold by their bankers. The traders said workers of the Public Works Department (PWD) were still occupying their Yard, which was to be allocated to them to sell their wares.

Mr Donkor said AMA's suggestion to relocate them to various empty markets in the Metropolis could not be implemented.

He said an inspection the association carried out at the Dansoman, Tuesday, Osu and Zongo markets indicated that the markets did not have enough space to accommodate its members.

"Apart from the fact that, these markets lacked warehouses and commuter services, which are the major factors to our business, they lacked basic amenities," he said.