A scene after the demolition exercise
THE KUMASI Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has demolished over 500 wooden structures at Bayakasua slum behind the COCOBOD building in Kumasi.
The slum has over the years reportedly served as breeding grounds for criminals, who terrorise law-abiding residents of Kumasi and other parts of the Ashanti Region.
The Bayakasua slum is also noted for promoting illegal activities such as prostitution and the sale of illicit drugs, which has the tendency of destroying the youth.
Residents of Kumasi have consistently urged city authorities to take a strict action to ensure that criminals at Bayakasua slum would be expelled from there once and for all, but to no avail.
The current Kumasi Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, who has promised to make the Bayakasua slum a thing of the past, carried out massive demolition exercise few days ago.
The KMA Chief Executive, who is nicknamed as ‘Zuba’ in political circles, personally left the comfort of his office to supervise the demolition exercise at the Bayakasua slum.
The demolition exercise was supported by personnel of the police, the military, KMA Metro Guards, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and Ghana Water Limited.
The ECG retrieved over 100 illegally connected electricity meters, while Ghana Water Limited also disconnected illegal water connections and repaired damaged pipelines during the exercise.
In a related development, some affected people were said to have become stranded after the demolition exercise.
According to reports, some of the affected people have stayed at Bayakasua all their life, and never expected to be expelled from the place.
Meanwhile, scores of residents of Kumasi have heaped tons of praises on the Kumasi Mayor for having the courage to destroy Bayakasua, which they considered as criminals den.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah, Kumasi