Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey says the decongestion exercise is aimed at instilling discipline and the President’s aim of making the country’s capital the cleanest city in Africa.
According to him, the numerous squatters that were evacuated were all informed before the exercise was executed.
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“I personally sent people to speak to them and yet, they refused to move.”
Henry Quartey, and a team of over 600 security officers descended on parts of the Central Business District in Accra to demolish illegal structures as part of his plans to decongest the city.
Traders in various items, from food to jewellery, who had occupied the pavements in parts of Accra were all moved.
Speaking after the exercise with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning show Mr. Quartey said, “This Make Accra Work Campaign is not a witch hunt but an exercise to make Accra an enabling environment for all to do business. We didn’t use the Rambo Style approach to move these people from the sidewalks and other unauthorized locations. We used the human element and repeatedly told persons who had settled around these areas, especially along railway lines to move but they didn’t. Because of the danger, these people expose themselves to and the waste they make, we had to move them,”
This initiative, according to the Minister will ensure the free flow of vehicular traffic and keep the vicinity clean.
He intimated that if such indiscipline was allowed to go on unchecked, persons will keep on building illegal structures and demand compensation anytime the government decided to demolish them.
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The Minister also announced the Assemblies and other authorities will be engaged to end the springing up of these illegal structures. “The Assemblies will now monitor and ensure illegal structures are not erected at unapproved locations to avoid the formation of communities”.
