Portions of the land has been fenced

Tension is mounting at Akwatialine Wood Market in the Ashanti Region as the Wood Sellers Association has threatened to resist every attempt to move them from the place by the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly.

The association has ac­cused the assembly of making plans to evict its members from the parcel of land being used as the wood market.

About two weeks ago, one person was hospitalised in a clash between the police and the traders, while dozens were arrested.

The Asokore Mampong Mu­nicipal Assembly stormed the area with the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Ghana Police Ser­vice to evict them to make way for the construction of stores by a private developer.

A visit to the area by The Spectator during the week saw 300 metres stretch of land fenced with aluminium sheets by the private devel­oper.

According to the Secretary of the Association, Moham­med Umar, it had taken them by surprise to see the place fenced while traders still had their goods within.

He explained that following the clash between the trad­ers and police, the Assem­bly called for a dialogue to resolve the matter.

He said that while the issue was being discussed, “we came to work today only to see the place fenced, but we will not give in to that”.

“The Assembly is asking us to vacate a place we have lived for over 50 years to pave way for the construc­tion of new stores, and we are demanding that they give us a place to relocate our businesses.

”The assembly is yet to show us where to go, and all of a sudden they brought heavily armed policemen to beat and evict us forcefully… and now the place is fenced.

“Until the Assembly relo­cates us, we are not moving an inch,” he said, and called on authorities in the region to, as a matter of urgency, resolve the issue and find a place to relocate them.

Efforts to contact the As­sembly for comments proved futile.

 From Kingsley E.Hope, Kumasi