There is confusion brewing at the Ashaiman main market as the Municipal Assembly has blocked a major road in front of the main market to allow hawkers trade.
The road which connects the central business area to the northern part of Ashaiman which links to Kpone Katamanso and Adentan Madina has been taken over by hawkers.
The blockage followed an order from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development which has earmarked some principal streets in Accra and Kumasi for hawking during the Christmas period.
As a result, market women who own sheds within the market are against the directive, saying they will not pay the usual tax until the hawkers are driven off the street.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, later on, the Municipal Chief Executive for Ashaiman, Albert Boakye Okyere, however, said the move followed “a directive given by the Local Government Ministry on consultation with most of the chief executives across the country.”
He added that the move “was a big respite to the numerous hawkers who are in Ashaiman.”
The move dubbed ‘Street Hawking Markets’ is also in partnership with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, to make trading activities this Christmas incident-free.
This new directive comes after an earlier memo from the Ministry that ordered MMDAs to implement measures aimed at enhancing pedestrian and vehicular mobility during the festive season.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
