Traders at the Community One Casino have appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to help stop a Lebanese investor from evicting them from the land they trade on.
According to the traders, the investor had been harassing them, “using tugs” to get them to vacate the forecourt of the Casino to be converted into a car park for his business.
The land immediately in front of one of Tema’s old structures, known as Casino, which was then used as a social centre, is now known as a spot for kenkey and second-hand clothing sellers, among other traders.
Mr Eric Kwame Amoako, a trader, told the Ghana News Agency that the harassment was too much, making it uncomfortable for them to ply their trade both day and night and, therefore, called on the TMA to intervene to ensure sanity.
He said they had always fulfilled their tax obligations to the TMA as required.
Madam Khadija Gibili, another trader, said she was arranging her wares when one of the “tugs” came to inform her that the traders had been given one week to vacate the place as they were blocking the frontage of the Lebanese’s business.
Mr Kwabena Agyeman and Madam Rebecca Asare, both traders, corroborated the issue and called for urgent intervention to safeguard their trade and source of income.
Mr Akwesi Agyeman, the Tema Metropolitan Market Coordinator, in his response, said he consulted the Municipal Chief Executive on the issue after being informed by the traders, adding that the Assembly had not given any authority to the businessman to evict any trader from the premises.
He said there already existed a car park in front of the casino building for the investor; therefore, his actions were unwarranted, giving the assurance that the Assembly had taken the matter up.
Mr Agyeman said he had already reported the activities of the “ tugs” to the police and given the number of the patrol team to call whenever the “tugs” returned to harass the traders.
GNA
FA/LKA/ABD
12 Jan 2024
