We are suffering, hawkers at Tema Station cry out

Accra, April 4, GNA - Hawkers at the Tema Station in Accra on Friday complained bitterly about the deplorable conditions under which they have to sell their goods since their stalls were destroyed in October last year by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

The hawkers, who do not have warehouses to keep their goods and have to stand in the open at the mercy of the vicissitudes of the weather, have therefore made a passionate appeal to the government and the AMA to come to their aid.

Speaking to the GNA, Ms. Florence Lokko, Vice Chairperson of the Tema Station Foodstuff Sellers Association, said the hawkers had been going through

a lot of hardships since their stalls and sheds were destroyed last year.

She said some of the members of the Association also lost their stalls and goods in a fire outbreak and this had brought a lot of hardships to them.

"Whenever it rains, we look for polythene to cover our goods and stand in the rain since we have nowhere to go. Our goods, especially the perishable ones, are going bad. Our situation is quiet pathetic and we really need help," Ms. Lokko added.

She said although the hawkers did not have money to construct new sheds for now, they were willing to buy and pay in instalment if the AMA would construct them.

Madam Lokko urged the AMA to treat their case with urgency since they still paid revenue to them.

Mr. Stephen Anyan, an opinion leader who sells electronic goods, bemoaned the situation where hawkers have had to carry their goods to and from their homes since their warehouses had been destroyed. He added: "It is very expensive to hire a taxi to convey your goods to and from your house to the station everyday. Most of our profit goes into that."

Mr Anyan appealed to the AMA Chief Executive, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson to deliver on his promise to rehabilitate the place for them by the end of last year.

Mr Francis Ahiamadzie, Welfare Chairman, GPRTU of TUC at the New Tema Station, blamed AMA for the present situation for pulling down all the wooden structures constructed by the GPTRU during its demolition exercise.

"The AMA should not have pulled down those structures when they knew they were not ready and did not have the necessary financial backing (to develop the station)," he stated.

Mr Ahiamadzie said drivers and passengers were complaining because they had to queue in the sun to board vehicles and the onset of the rains had made the issue worse.

"If the AMA is not ready they should tell us so that we will know what to do about the situation."

He said the drivers who operated at the station paid revenue to the AMA and did not understand why they should be treated in such a manner. He noted that the filth at the station had not been cleared because the AMA owed the contractor.