Hawkers play hide and seek with police

Posted:The Chronicle / Monday, July 06, 2009



By Charles Takyi Boadu
Displaced hawkers at the Accra Central Business district, who were affected by the recent decongestion exercise embarked upon by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), appear to be defiant of the city authority’s directive to leave the streets and pavements of Accra for the Pedestrian Shopping Mall.

Most of these displaced hawkers are still lurking in front of stores, biding their time to return to the streets and pavements when the security personnel policing the area finally leave.

When The Chronicle went round the principal streets and pavements of the Central Business district of Accra, and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, where most of these people were affected last week Thursday, it realised that most of the hawkers were playing what could best be described as ‘hide-and-seek’ with the law enforcement agencies.

At the Rawlings Park in Accra, some of the displaced hawkers were seen hovering around the pavements, whilst others lurked in front of shops in readiness to go back to the streets when the security details leave.

The situation at the Kwame Nkrumah circle was a different ball game from what was discovered in the Accra Business district.

Here, most of these hawkers were seen doing brisk business on the pavements, since there were no security personnel to sack them.

Asked why they were still loitering on the pavements, and not going to occupy the much-talked-about Pedestrian Shopping Mall, part of which was still empty, most of these hawkers said for one reason or the other, people (buyers) do not take delight in coming to buy at the market.

Others also said they were harassed and driven away whenever they go to some other markets to trade their wares. This, according to them, was because they do not have regular places there, and therefore end up blocking people’s displayed wares.

Meanwhile, some of the affected hawkers said they had contracted loans from the various banks, ranging between GH¢500 – GH¢ 5,000, and do not know where to get those monies to go and service the loans.

The hawkers did not also understand why the shopping mall at circle was built in two sections, with a lorry station in the middle.

According to them, one could get everything he or she wants to buy at the first section of the market, and would therefore not go to the second section, popularly known as ‘Tuobodom’.

For this reason, they said they had nowhere to go unless the AMA gives them a better alternative.