{"id":318126,"date":"2017-05-11T13:24:32","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T13:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=318126"},"modified":"2017-05-11T13:24:32","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T13:24:32","slug":"kumasi-minister-orders-traders-to-leave-central-market-footbridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/05\/kumasi-minister-orders-traders-to-leave-central-market-footbridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Kumasi: Minister orders traders to leave Central Market footbridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has given traders who have taken over the Kumasi Central Market footbridge one month to vacate the place or be forced out.<\/p>\n
The GHc2.2 million 70-meter bridge was built for the safety of pedestrians and to ease congestion at the Central Business District but the purpose has largely been defeated.<\/p>\n
Traders and hawkers have turned it into a thriving market, using it to do brisk business \u2013 with wares displayed on every inch of the bridge.<\/p>\n
Mr. Osei-Mensah, who spoke to reporters described the situation as deeply troubling and completely unacceptable.<\/p>\n
He said the intense pressure on the bridge \u2013 the weight on it, was creating safety concerns \u2013 potential risk of the bridge collapsing.<\/p>\n
He indicated that inaction by the Regional Coordinating Council and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), could prove to be too costly.<\/p>\n
He said he was ready to fearlessly tackle the issue to ensure discipline in the Ashanti Regional capital.<\/p>\n
Mr. Osei-Mensah warned that recalcitrant traders would be arrested and prosecuted.<\/p>\n
The footbridge linking the Market with Adum and other parts of the district, was inaugurated in October, 2013, to allow for free pedestrian movement.<\/p>\n
The Minister said \u201cit is illegal for any trader to sell his or her wares on the footbridge, and as a law-abiding government we will not allow the wrong things to be done\u201d.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: GNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has given traders who have taken over the Kumasi Central Market footbridge one month to vacate the place or be forced out. The GHc2.2 million 70-meter bridge was built for the safety of pedestrians and to ease congestion at the Central Business District but the purpose has largely been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":296871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[7017,3,1701],"yoast_head":"\n