A minister of state at the presidency is on a collision course with the mayors of Accra and Ashaiman over demolition exercises currently being executed in the two metropolitan and municipal areas respectively. The Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, is challenging the moral authority of the two mayors in demolishing illegal structures being used for trading in parts of Accra and Ashaiman. Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) taskforces, led by Mayor Dr. Alfred Vanderpuye, have been embarking on a massive demolition exercise in various parts of Accra since Monday December 14, 2009. All over the city of Accra, AMA staff have been destroying shops and driving people away, from Kantamanto Market through Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Kaneshie to Odorkor in a bid to rid the national capital of hawkers and traders along the business districts of the city. Under the cover of darkness and without warning, the AMA teams descend on stalls of street traders and proceed to destroy them, many still containing valuable wares ready for sale. The even overturn containers. His counterpart in Ashaiman, Numo Adinortey Addison followed suit with a similar exercise Wednesday, which saw the destruction of illegal stalls and containers in the sprawling municipality. Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem Thursday, mayor Vanderpuye defended his actions and said the exercise was long overdue. He argued that the affected persons were trading illegally, causing congestion and thus creating a conducive environment for increases criminal activities in the city. But Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpone Katamanso in the Ga East District of the Greater Accra Region, is strongly against the exercises, arguing that the timing is totally wrong and may impact negatively on the affected traders. Nii Laryea told Dwaso Nsem host Ekuorba Gyasi that, in principle, he is not against the decongestion of the two cities. He however argued that embarking on the exercise around Christmas could deprive the affected traders of revenue at a crucial period. Nii Laryea says he would lobby the Chief of Staff at the Christiansborg Castle, Mr. Martey Newman, and the Minister of Local Government Mr. Yieleh Chireh to intervene and stop the exercise. SOURCE: ADOM FM