Squatters who were evicted from the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange Neoplan Bus Stop on Wednesday, May 21, have returned to their spots.

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The Environmental Health Officer in charge of operations at AMA, Mr Joseph Asitanga, confirmed this while speaking to Joy News on Thursday, May 22.He said,"So as we enforced the laws yesterday, this morning we got a wind of that; they are back again, so we had to come. When we got here, they had resurfaced with different developments with their items, so we had to come again, clean and tidy up the place.”

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“As part of the decongestion exercise, wherever we move to, we follow up to see whether whatever we did the previous day has been complied with. It is a by-law enforcement; bus stops are not meant for activity. It is meant for only passengers to transit and it is difficult getting people out here,” Mr Joseph Asitanga added.

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He revealed that three permanent guards will be deployed to the Neoplan Bus Stop to prevent squatters from thronging the street.

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“The director has mandated through the National Security Coordinator to put three permanent security officers here to ensure daily routine enforcement.

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"We are going to ensure that this place is as clean as it is now. Nobody will sell here; this is a bus stop. We are not demolishing anything here, but we are clearing the bus stop free of trading,” he said.

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On Wednesday, May 21, Circle Neoplan was freed from illegal structures as part of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly's (AMA) decongestion exercise.

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The 3-day decongestion exercise launched on Tuesday, May 20, targets street traders in the country's capital, Accra.

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The first phase focused on areas around the AMA Head Office, including Kinbu Road to Railways, ECG Junction to the King Tackie Tawiah Statue, and Opera Square to Adabraka.Today, Wednesday, May 21, the AMA extended the operation to Circle Neoplan.

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Prior to the launch of the decongestion exercise, the Accra mayor engaged traders, urging them to leave the streets voluntarily.

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Meanwhile, the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has assured that the operation will persist until the roads are fully cleared of vendors occupying the pavements.

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“This exercise is not a nine-day wonder; we are on the street till we make sure that the roads are clear. We are not done. For the next hour, we are going back to the street. From here we are going to Circle, and if there is more strength, we will go to Kaneshie. Then we continue tomorrow,” the mayor stated.

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Despite concerns by some of the traders who sought to counter the decongestion exercise, a section of the traders lauded the Accra Mayor and the AMA task force for undertaking the decongestion exercise in the Central Business District.

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However, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has cautioned the traders against returning to the streets. Speaking to the media after the exercise, she noted that culprits will pay a fine within the range of GHC1,500 and GHC2,000.

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“We are going to reactivate our task force so that they will be working 24 hours a day. They are going to draw red lines in between the roads so that when you cross the line. There’s a fee that you have to pay, GHC1,500, with a maximum of GHC2,000. So that next time, you wouldn’t cross the line,” she said.

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Amid the concerns raised by affected traders, the Greater Accra Market Association (GAMA) has declared strong support for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s ongoing decongestion campaign in the Central Business District (CBD).

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Under Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), specific provisions prohibit trading activities that obstruct pedestrian and vehicular movement.

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These regulations are designed to ensure the safety and free flow of traffic on public roads and pavements.

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