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Some merchants in the central market of Kumasi are seeking a court order to prevent the Metropolitan Assembly from demolishing some 1,500 locked stores occupied by the applicants.
Brazilian construction company Contracta began the demolition of structures in the market on Monday March 15 to pave the way for the construction of the second phase of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project.
The exercise comes after city authorities notified merchants of the possible destruction of their products if they were not moved to satellite markets.
But traders have been agitating over what they say is the KMA’s failure to relocate them to a suitable place to do business.
They insisted on not leaving until the necessary arrangements were made.
Some of the merchants later complied and moved to satellite markets, but others, especially those occupying lockable stores, maintained that they will not heed the directive.
The 1,143 aggrieved merchants turned to the Kumasi High Court to prevent the KMA from carrying out the demolition of their locked stores.
Trader leader Richard Boamah says the Assembly has not been fair in dealing with traders.
The government risks losing € 258 million in funding for the second phase of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project if merchants thwart the construction takeoff.
The project has been delayed for almost two years.
KMA public relations officer Henrietta Aboagye says work on the project will continue until the court grants the interim injunction.
The motion for the precautionary measure will be heard on Thursday, April 1, 2021.
