Former Veep Bawumia visits Adum Blue Light fire outbreak scene

Former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Tuesday, paid a working visit to the Adum Blue Light fire disaster scene in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, to sympathise with the affected traders.

Dr Bawumia, who was accompanied by some Members of Parliament, former government appointees and leading members of the NPP, donated GH¢200,000.00 and 1,000 bags of cement to support the recovery efforts of the traders.

The Former Vice President appealed to the traders to exercise restraint and wait for report on investi­gations into the fire outbreak to ascer­tain the actual cause of the disaster.

The fire, which occurred on Friday, March 21, ravaged the entire Blue Light market enclave in the Central Business District of Kumasi, destroy­ing merchandise worth millions of Ghana cedis, and rendering hundreds of traders jobless and also plunging them into huge financial loses.

The cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be established, but some of the affected traders are pointing accusing fingers at the persistent power fluctua­tions in the area, prior to the outbreak.

The Ashanti Regional Security Council had already ordered investiga­tions into the disaster.

President John Dramani Maha­ma had already visited the victims, and instructed the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to ensure that affected traders were supported with relief items.

The NADMO, the Ghana Na­tional Fire Service and other security agencies were still working to clear the debris to pave the way for the recon­struction of the market.

While the government wants to clear the area and prepare it for the construction of a modern market, the affected traders are calling on the gov­ernment to allow them to reconstruct the market by themselves.

The traders argue that it would take a longer time for the government to complete such project, and the delay could impact on their livelihoods.

Again, most of them lamented that they would not be able to afford the rent if the government constructed the market through a private devel­oper.

In a related development, a dele­gation from the Kumasi Traditional Council had also visited the scene to assess the situation and report to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.