Awka City: Stubborn street traders distorting master plan—- Anambra Gov’t
The Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has decried the recalcitrant attitude of some artisans after a series of warnings for them to vacate unapproved locations within the capital territory.
Mr Ossy Onuko, Managing Director of ACTDA said this in Awka on Friday while speaking on the ongoing enforcement of ban on trading on illegal and dangerous locations in Awka.
Onuko said the agency had seized wares of some of the traders who displayed on roads, drainage and walkways during the awareness campaigns last year but released them with a warning that they should not go back to those unapproved locations.
According to him, before Christmas, we went for enforcement, we confiscated the goods of a particular woman, this woman came to my office premises crying her heart out.
“I heard her voice from my office and came down to hear out. After pleading, I directed that all her goods should be returned to her without paying a dime, but I warned her not to go back to the place she was dislodged.
“Can you imagine, this woman was among the people we evicted just yesterday. This is the case with so many of them” he said.
A visit by reporters to Goodwill Junction, Okpuno showed that all the traders who were dislodged from the road had returned thereby constituting traffic nuisance.
Meanwhile, the ever busy Club Street, popularly known as Abakaliki Street is wearing a new look following the evacuation of all the shanties on the road.
Businesses under the 33KVA power transmission lines which attracted and endanger thousands of lives of people seeking fun under it have also been dismantled.
Speaking on the danger of conducting human activities under power transmission lines, Onuko said it was deadly and warned residents to steer clear of the area.
He said ACTDA would sustain the clampdown on illegal business sites to make Awka wear the ideal look of a state capital and also protect lives of citizens.
