Evicted spare parts dealers condemn AMA demolition
Spare parts dealers at the Articulated Trucks Station along the railway track at Avenor in Accra, who were evicted by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) last Friday, have condemned the demolition of their structures.
Labelling the exercise as illegal and claiming that it was done without a human face, the dealers said it had rather compounded their problems.
They stated that the exercise, which was carried out by the taskforce of the AMA, constituted an illegal eviction since they were given a short notice.
Thousands of pieces of spare parts were destroyed as the owners were not given time to re-locate their properties to other places.
Spare parts hub
The Articulated Trucks Station at Avenor has been a hub for the sale of parts for heavy trucks and articulated vehicles for over 20 years.
Inhabitants of the area mostly trade in spare parts, livestock and plastic products and are mainly from the Northern Region.
When the Daily Graphic visited the area, displaced residents and shop owners looked distraught and they asked how they could raise money to pay back the loans they had taken from banks.
About 70 displaced residents are living in an uncompleted mosque with their children and belongings.
Goods destroyed
Mr Zakaria Tahiru, a hydraulic mechanic whose structure was demolished, said the taskforce destroyed all his goods worth GH¢200,000.
He expressed worry over the demolition of illegal settlements in the city and added that the government must find alternative settlements for the displaced residents.
According to him, the government should be the voice of the voiceless and the strength of the weak in the country.
Mr Tahiru said his family in the village depended on him for their survival, but with his goods destroyed, he could not provide for them.
Taxes
Mr Haruna Alhassan, a spare parts dealer, said occupants of the place paid taxes to the AMA annually while others paid monthly.
He said the AMA charged GH¢50 for a 20-foot container, while those with 40-foot containers paid GH¢100. All the dealers also pay taxes to the railway authorities.
According to him, the government is entreating people to be lawless through the demolition exercise. He added: “A time will come when the vulnerable in society will take the law into their hands.”
Mr Tahiru suggested that the government should get a place for them to resettle, just as it had acquired a place for the refugees from Liberia.
Prostitution
Three ladies, whose salon was demolished, told the Daily Graphic that they had laboured to put up the structure because they wanted to avoid any indecent lifestyle.
According to them, all their equipment and other items in the salon were destroyed. They, therefore, called on the government to set up businesses for them or they would be forced to resort to prostitution to make a living.
Livestock market
The Leader of the Ghana Livestock Co-operative Union, Alhaji Sofo, said although the demolition exercise had affected some people negatively, it would benefit the union.