AMA to decongest Accra- ”Soldier Bar“ to go

THE Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is to demolish “Soldier Bar”, a popular brothel at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and other unauthorised structures within its environs in Accra in two weeks time after the necessary cross-checks have been made.
The assembly has also indicated its preparedness to take full responsibility for waste management in the capital, taking on board the supposed 80 per cent of the activities of private waste management companies, in addition to its 20 per cent mandate.
To that effect, the Chief Executive of AMA, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, has directed the Metropolitan Waste Management Department to clear all the irreparable old trucks and equipment on its compound and make room for new ones.
Speaking to journalists at the end of a tour of parts of Accra on Friday, Mr Vanderpuije said he was in contact with benevolent NGOs outside the country who were willing to help address the deplorable unsanitary conditions in the national capital.
“AMA should be doing 100 per cent of the work and we are going to take full responsibility for waste management in the city,” he stated, and pointed out that AMA was looking at a comprehensive approach that would sustain whatever it would start.
“I would soon meet with mayors of major cities in the world to discuss how they could help us to restore sanity in our cities to appreciable level. But before that, we need to put our house in order," he disclosed, and noted that the AMA would consider this and take a bold decision to eliminate street hawking.
Mr Vanderpuije gave an indication of a massive decongestion exercise in the capital, after a status report by the various heads of department and the AMA Health Directorate had been brought before him for assessment.
Mr Vanderpuije blamed the actions of some authorities at the various centres of the assembly as a contributory factor to the unsanitary conditions in the city.
He mentioned some of the activities at the “Soldier Bar” in particular, and said owners of most drinking spots were operating with licences illegally obtained from AMA officials.
He indicated his resolve to investigate whether the operators had legal approval to operate there, and if yes, he was still going to demolish the structures because the AMA had a responsibility to eliminate those structures under its jurisdiction.
“We will demolish the structures there, not just for the sake of beautification, but for the sake of those children and women whose lives are in danger, considering the environmental conditions under which they operate this illicit sex trade,” he warned.
“Activities there are illegal and we should not allow them to operate.
“We need to rethink that position. The AMA has a responsibility in the elimination of these activities and the sanitation problems in the city. We need to rethink the construction of pavements, particularly at Kaneshie, on the usage of the road as parking area by trotro and taxi drivers”.
The AMA boss also visited the Metro Roads, Accra Metro Sewage, AMA Public Health Department, Accra Metro Health Directorate, the Kaneshie Market, Tema Station, Makola Market, among others.
He described the filth and the stench in the city as an eyesaw.
“The situation in Accra brings tears to my eyes,” he stated, indicating that in almost all the market centres in Accra, trotro and taxi drivers parked indiscriminately on roads and pavements with no regard for authority.

Caption: Chief Executive of AMA, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije in spectacles, in the midst of AMA officials during the tour which took him through the streets of Makola, Kaneshie, and Tema Station