Tamale, March 23, GNA - The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly is to embark on an exercise to demolish all unauthorised structures within the Metropolis to facilitate economic activities.

The Assembly would also arrest stray animals and prosecute their owners, Alhaji Iddrisu Adam, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), announced this in Tamale on Wednesday when he briefed the media on measures his outfit had taken to ensure the success of the exercise. Alhaji Adam said the Metropolis was replete with illegal structures, some of which had been built on service lands, thus hampering the activities of the Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Telecom.

He said the exercise, which would begin soon after the Easter Holidays, would involve the demolition of illegal structures along the main streets, the Kaladan Park area and parts of the Aboabo Market, while owners of structures properly situated but without permits from the Assembly, would be charged.

He explained that chiefs and other opinion leaders would be involved in the exercise adding that the action was not political but to ensure that the city was rid of such unauthorised structures to befit its Metropolitan status.

Meanwhile Alhaji Adam has advised traders and hawkers in the Metropolis to avail themselves of the facilities at the Timber and Aboabo markets, Lamashegu, Kalpohini and "Water Works" area where there were lockable stores for use.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive noted that most of the fire outbreaks in major markets in the country were preventable but the construction of illegal structures had prevented fire tenders to move freely through the markets to allow firemen to fight such outbreaks and save property.

He announced that the Ministry of the Interior had given the Ghana National Fire Service the authority to conduct fire auditing in all major markets in the country to enhance security and help bring sanity to the markets.