Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional minister has stated that the government is still negotiating with scrap dealers around Agbogbloshie to relocate in the coming weeks.
The move is coming barely a few weeks after onion sellers were relocated to a modern market at Adjen Kotoku in a bid to decongest the Central Business District.
Speaking on Town Hall Talk with Beatrice Adu, Quartey said: “…We have taken the trouble to ensure that the scrap dealers are also relocated, that is why we are talking to them, and that is why we are kind of conceding to their demands.”
He added: “We got them a 10-acre land and they want to go onto a 50-acre land. We are meeting them half way, so clearly it shows that we are not just moving them.”
Quartey, who also doubles as the MP for Ayawaso Central, said the government is treading cautiously in its approach in order not to compound the unemployment situation.
“But we are also mindful of the fact that things that ordinarily create jobs for people down there, we don’t destroy them.”
Arrest order
The minister also issued a stern warning to scrap dealers who engage in the removal of iron rods at some interchanges in the capital to desist from the practice.
“That brings to mind the issue of scrap dealers, a few pictures have been sent to me via WhatsApp where scrap dealers now have the effrontery to go below interchanges, and they are now removing the steel under the interchange.
“This is what I am talking about and very soon we are going to go after them. They do this at odd hours, but we will put plans in place, we will have them arrested by the police and we need the media to join us and ensuring they are taken to a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
Fred Dzakpata
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