Displaced shop owners in Tarkwa Wood Village have reached out to President John Dramani Mahama regarding what they term the “selective demolition” of their shops.
They claim that this action has resulted in losses amounting to thousands of cedis, pushing their businesses to the verge of collapse.
The demolition, executed by unidentified engineers allegedly representing the Tarkwa Municipal Assembly, has left the traders utterly devastated.
For the shop owners affected, the experience was nothing less than a nightmare. Monica Nkrumah, her voice quivering and eyes shimmering with tears, recounted the distress of that tragic morning.
She stated that they awoke to discover everything they had established had been obliterated, their shops reduced to debris. There was no prior warning, no notification. Just the overwhelming sound of destruction.
This occurred despite the fact that the land had been allocated to them by the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly four years prior, after they were moved from the old Wood Village.
They are questioning the reasons behind the demolition, alleging that their shops were specifically targeted and destroyed, while other businesses in the area remained unharmed.
“We were originally in Old Wood Village when the Assembly moved us here. To my knowledge, this land is owned by the government.
“If the government had plans to relocate us again, we should have been properly informed, but no such communication took place. Instead, we returned the following morning only to find this unlawful demolition.
“Look at my machine. Unfortunately, it rained that day, and our equipment was ruined. My plywood has also been damaged, and what little is left is unsellable. This represents a significant loss for us, amounting to several thousand cedis,” she expressed.
Despite having reported the incident to the police, the shop owners claim they have encountered silence and inaction.
The traders have appealed to the government for assistance.
“We arrived for work on Monday, only to return the following morning and find this situation. The MCE’s Public Relations Office has confirmed that they conducted the demolition operation. According to our regulations, such demolitions should not target specific individuals.
“As you can observe, there is a shop in front of me that remains intact, yet they demolished my shop, skipped one after mine, and destroyed another.
“We are thus urging the President and higher authorities to initiate an investigation into this issue. They have ruined all my equipment,” lamented another trader.
In an attempt to verify the traders’ assertions, the news team reached out to the Assembly, but officials refused to comment.
