The head of communications of the Atta Mills campaign team Koku Anyidoho says the next National Democratic Congress government will embark on a redevelopment of the Central Business District (CBD) in Accra. He says the area needs a proper lay out which will facilitate human and vehicular movement in the case of any eventuality. The CBD, although a source of income for many families, has also inflicted heartaches on the people through rampant fire outbreaks that have destroyed properties running into several billions of cedis. On Monday the 22nd September, 2008 fire again razed down portions of the Kantamanto market in the CBD, wiping out huge investment of many traders. Illegal connection of electricity and the lack of access routes by personnel of the fire service did not help matters, as bails of cloths, refrigerators, sewing machines and other properties were reduced to ashes. This forced leaders of the NDC, NPP and the CPP to throng to the venue of the disaster to show solidarity with the affected traders. But with election 2008 just around the corner, many suspect the political parties to take advantage of the affected persons to garner more votes. But Koku Anyidoho says the move was nothing less than altruistic. “It wasn’t about politics. It was about reaching out to people in distress,” he told Akwasi Sarpong on Joy Fm’s new political programme dubbed Election Headquarters. Asked whether the NDC was ready to support the affected victims, Koku Anyidoho said “Prof. Mills did not go on a promising spree,” adding that government controls the public purse and must come to the aid of these distressed victims. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey former minister of Tourism, who was part of NPP delegation to the market said government was already in talks with leaders of the market to arrange a compensation package for victims. He dispelled the notion that the visit was to win political votes, adding it was a "show of solidarity." The former minister said, with the consolidation of education and health care delivery in the country, attention will now be turned into the modernization of CBD which is part of the agenda for moving Ghana forward. Author: Nathan Gadugah