Threat to pedestrians, traders in Takoradi business district

An hour and half walk through the Central Business district and markets in the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi has revealed a serious threat to pedestrian and trader's safety, due to weak, rusty metals and concrete gratings, covering drains in the metropolis.

The metal railings at various bus stops and traffic interceptions have also not been maintained and  are yet to catch the attention of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA).

The other threat is that, many of the streets in the metropolis have no street lights and the only illumination are the flashes of lights from various homes.

During the walk around the Takoradi Central Market (Market Circle), this  reporter noted  that there were huge storm drains with weak coverings and others that   had concrete fallen in.

The openings, according to the market women, were covered about six years ago after several complaints to STMA about the safety threats.

Currently, the metal gratings have become very  weak and  some are off creating a huge opening and threat to both buyers and sellers.

Around the market circle, there are about 74 openings with very weak gratings . According to the traders, the metals  were not stolen but caved in  due to rust.

They said a concerned citizen realising the danger it posed to the lives of  visitors to the market, brought wood to cover the  very dangerous areas near the market.

One other danger is that, around the market, the upper part and the walls of the concrete drains have become very weak, and some areas have caved in.

At the entrance to the Market Circle Police Station, the concrete had caved in, exposing the iron rods which  had been left hanging dangerously. According to the traders, this situation had been like that for years.

From the Police Station, through Collins Avenue towards the traffic light at the State Transport Corporation yard,  all the  gratings  on the various drains have caved in due to rusting.

According to a  resident, it had been like that for the past five years since he first arrived in the metropolis.

The story is not different in the market, as at the time, the Daily Graphic entered the markets in Takoradi, Sekondi and Apremdo, almost every corner was full of waste.

Sekondi market is choked. At  Apremdo, the area for offloading goods had been taken over by haulage truck mechanics.

The Takoradi  market circle's  perimetre, which is supposed to be a car park, had been taken over by hawkers. Also, the market as at 9am was found to be dirty.

The Deputy Queen of the Market, Madam Theresa Cobbinah, deplored the situation of the market and said the traders were simply not safe.

She recalled when she started selling with her mother in the market at the age of 15, saying 'We pay our taxes and it is used to take care of the needs of the market and this market was the best.'

Madam Cobbinah said currently, the market structure is very weak and the assembly had not carried  out any rehabilitation on it  and the whole structure had become a threat to the lives of the traders who wanted to legitimately work for their daily bread.

Sitting in front of her textile shop, about seven shops on the left after entering the market through the main gate, she showed  the Daily Graphic how the concrete roof had fallen off from the roof.

The deputy queen said it was important to note that,  the traders were tenants, who paid regular rent and taxes to the assembly and it was the duty of the assembly to ensure that traders' needs were addressed.

'But we use our own monies to carry out basic maintenance aside the rent we pay to the assembly, as we speak there is no toilet or urinal in this market and not even a sick bay for the traders, which was not the original plan for the market, the market Nkrumah envisaged,' she lamented.

She said  the building of a new market was long over due, but the assembly could not force people to move to Apremdo. This is because the situation there was worse, and  the structures at Apremdo were just not right for trading.

When the Daily Graphic contacted the STMA for comments, the Chief Executive did not pick the several calls made to his phone.

However, an official source at the Urban Roads Department said, they were very much aware of the deplorable nature of the gratings and its threats to the lives of the traders and residents in the metropolis.

He  said there was nothing they could do now because of budgetary constraints. It is however, the hope of the Daily Graphic that the assembly will replace the gratings and address the needs of the market women.

 Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu