AMA Must Found New Kantamanto…

It is quite clear now that the old Kantamanto that was recently and most tragically razed by fire cannot be re-built into a modern market by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

Though laudable and well-intentioned, there simply is no land to execute the project on.

The Kantamanto land belongs firmly to the former Ghana Railways Corporation (GRC), now broken down into the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) and the Ghana Railway Company, its operating arm.

The issue of an expired leasehold from the allodia owners, the Gbese Family, is neither here nor there. The law gives the lessee the first right of refusal. And it is most unlikely that the Railways would refuse to renew its lease.

The traders may, indeed, hold sub-leases, but unless the railway lawyers were totally incompetent, they would have included provisions for re-possession of the land at short notice.

Railways should reject out of hand the AMA plea for the greater part of the Kantamanto land for its pipe-dream modern Kantamanto market. Accra, as capital of Ghana, even though not the headquarters of the Railways Company deserves a befitting and modern railway terminal, and a small piece of land, would not do at all.

Luckily, the railways re-development programme was underway with sourced funds before the fire incident, so no one could accuse the GRDAof intentionally depriving the traders of their sources of livelihood.

Indeed, according to the sector Minister, the traders had much, much, earlier been informed of the decision to re-possess the lands sublet to them.

Besides the re-building of the old Kantamanto would likely drag on beyond the six months the AMA is promising, because of threats of law suits to prevent it from taking place.

In the considered opinion of The Chronicle, the best option for the AMA is to found a New Kantamanto somewhere in the Accra metropolis, build its envisaged modern market in six months, and re-locate the displaced traders there.

To be fair to the affected traders in the allocation of stalls and shops in the New Kantamanto, the list of affected traders must be complied now, if not already done. This is what should be used for the allocation at the New Kantamanto, and until the list is exhausted, no new trader should be allocated stalls or shops.

Meanwhile, pending the completion of the New Kantamanto, the railways should please allow the women to continue to trade at the burnt Kantamanto market as best as they could, without putting up any structures.

The traders would do well to understand that any money spent on permanent structures at the fire-ravaged Kantamanto would, giving the on-going re-vamping of the railway sector, be money poured down the drain.

The Chronicle believes it is in the traders' own interest to hold onto whatever little money they have left or may have borrowed after the fire, until the AMA has finished the New Kantamanto, for whatever deposit they may have to pay.

AMA, stop dithering and act now!