Traders at the Tema Community 11 were taken by surprise last Thursday when officials of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), embarked on a demolition exercise in the area, destroying structures and wares running into thousands of Ghana Cedis.
The aggrieved traders who claimed to have permit from the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) to operate in the area, explained that the TDC task force had earlier on vandalized their shops, however in June this year, the Municipal Assembly compelled all shops and businesses in the area to regularize their operations or face ejection.
According to the traders, they obliged by registering with the Assembly after which they were promised that the task force would be coming over to inspect the various locations to find out whether they meet the required standards for trading activities before handing them permits.
The traders however lamented that barely two months after the registration, the task force descended on them unannounced demolishing all their structures and wares.
The situation has forced some of the traders to relocate whilst others who had nowhere to go were left wandering in dilemma.
They also indicated that they met with an official of the TDC one Mr Aryeequaye who assured them that they could return to their respective areas to do business.
According to the traders they have been operating in the area since that agreement until the fateful Thursday when the task force emerged from nowhere, and on third consecutive times, ransacked their shops and pulling down all sheds.
The order, according to information gathered by this paper later, was given by Joseph A. Abbey, Managing Director of TDC.
Acting PRO of TDC, Sammy Abakah in an interview with this paper denied knowledge of the incident but promised to investigate the matter.
Mr Abakah however reiterated that the TMA only gives licenses to business owners to operate within the municipality, however, the TDC reserves the exclusive mandate, backed by an Act of Parliament to issue permits to potential and existing business owners for the land on which the entity would be situated.
This, the PRO stressed, most people are not aware and would ignorantly be content with the permit they acquire from the TMA to do business.
