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 A line of stalls were last week
demolished, turning the area into a
ground zero, by personnel of the
Tourism Security Unit, following
allegations that the owners had been
using the area to trade in illicit
drugs.
According to Abdou Touray, one of
the affected victims, who used to
run a coffee shop there, the
demolition came as a result of a
problem between them and Ebrima
Manneh, the chief engineer at the
Jerma Beach Hotel. Explaining the
circumstances that led to the
demolition, Mr Touray recalled that
Manneh had contracted five of them
to dig a 150 metre-long pit for
electric fire cable in September,
2007. He claimed that Manneh had
initially refused to pay them after
the work had been completed. "He
later paid us when we reported him
to the Kotu Police Station," he
said.
"He then
threatened to demolish all the shops
and stands opposite the hotel and
eventually went to the GTA where he
alleged that we used the area to
sell drugs," Touray told the Daily
Observer.
Mr Touray
dismissed allegations of trade in
illicit drugs as baseless, adding
that they only sell craft works and
food stuff.
Yorro Jallow,
another shopkeeper victim in the
area, said his belongings were
thrown out during the demolition
process. A native of Dankunku
Village in Central River Region, Mr
Jallow said that he used the shop as
a shelter himself and his wife. He
bemoaned the fact that the exercise
has rendered him homeless and
jobless.
"I don't even
know why my shop was demolished,
because I have all the required
papers to legally operate the
shops," he bewailed, while looking
at the remains of his demolished
shop.
Reacting to
the counter-comment, Mr Manneh
expressed dismay with the
counter-allegations. "I am just an
engineer. I don't have the power to
order eviction or demolition. It's
just that my arrival at the hotel on
the said day coincided with the
coming of the GTA soldiers. So the
shopkeepers think that I was the one
responsible?," he questioned.
Baba Darboe,
the assistant manager of Jerma Beach
Hotel, told the Daily Observer the
allegations against Mr Manneh were
completely unfounded, as he [Manneh]
did not have that authority as a
hotel employee to meddle in such
matters.
He pointed out
that Jerma Hotel did not own the
space where the stalls were erected,
adding that it's not responsible for
the demolition.
However, he
confirmed that they had complaint to
GTA about disturbances that were
emanating from the shopkeepers and
taxi drivers on account of the
concerns by their guests whose rooms
are adjacent to the cluster of
shops. "We have 60 rooms which are
directly adjacent to the shops and
the guests in these rooms usually
complain of the noise coming from
outside. Apart from this, we don't
have any hand in the matter," he
concluded.
Source:
The Daily
Observer (Banjul)
7 May 2008
Ebrima Jatta
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