Traders operating near Novotel and Tema Lorry Station in Accra have threatened to storm the principal streets of Accra Saturday, completely naked, to show their anger with plans to resettle them elsewhere. They are protesting against the alleged plans to resettle them at the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle without the appropriate rehabilitation of the Mall. "In fact, where they want to resettle us is an eyesore; the Mall lacks proper lay-out; it is a flood prone area during the rainy season, sometimes leading to loss of lives and property," Madam Victoria Mensah, Market Queen of the Tema Station Traders Association, said. She was addressing the media on Thursday after placard-bearing members of the association, wearing red-arm bands, had gone on a demonstration to express their disapproval with the impending decongestion exercise. They alleged that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly had decided to embark on the exercise today. The traders appealed to the AMA to rehabilitate the mall and construct additional stalls before embarking on the decongestion. The women accused the leadership of Novotel Traders Association of allegedly embezzling funds belonging to them and negotiating with some officials of AMA to ensure that the exercise was carried out. "The leadership have not rendered account and levies collected from us. We even suggested that some of the monies collected should be used to improve facilities and make the Mall more conducive to our operations, but all to no avail,” Madam Mensah said. Mr. McCarthy Aggrah, Novotel Market Coordinator, when contacted refuted the allegations and explained that the association was only collaborating with AMA to ensure their smooth resettlement at the mall. “We only suggested that each trader should pay GH¢ to assist with the rehabilitation and even with that they have refused to pay,” he said. Mr. Aggrah said the association had rules guiding its activities and under no circumstance would the leadership misuse the funds. Reacting to the protests by the traders, Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, told the Times that the traders are threatening to go on demonstration were those occupying the Tema Lorry Park and not the Novotel Lorry Station. He said traders at the Novotel area were willing to be relocated, adding that the assembly had began their relocation. "The traders at the Tema lorry station know they will be the next to move and they do not want that to happen because they want to remain at the lorry park," Mr Vanderpuije said. "I will not allow that to happen because a lorry park is a lorry park, it is not meant for trading activities," he stated. Mr. Vanderpuije told the Times that the AMA vas ready to facilitate the relocation of the traders at the Tema lorry park to the Odawna Shopping Mall. "If they want to, I will make provisions for them to be relocated at the Odawna market," he said. Source: Ghanaian Times