The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has directed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strictly enforce sanitation bye-laws after the two-day National General Cleaning exercise, insisting that offenders must be sanctioned regardless of their political affiliation.
Speaking to Citi News on Friday, July 10, during a monitoring visit to the Nungua Station area, the Regional Minister expressed concern that political interference has often weakened efforts by MMDAs to punish sanitation offenders.
She warned that such interference would no longer be tolerated, urging assemblies to apply the law fairly against persons found culpable of sanitation offences.
“There are bye-laws everywhere. We have asked them to make sure they enforce the bye-laws. This time around, there will be no mercy for the culprit. When someone is found culpable, irrespective of whoever comes to beg, there should be no mercy,” she said.
According to her, enforcing sanitation regulations consistently is necessary to sustain the gains made through the National General Cleaning exercise and prevent a recurrence of challenges associated with poor waste management.
She further directed MMDAs to empower their sanitation taskforces to confiscate items belonging to traders who fail to comply with sanitation directives during the exercise, adding that such items should be donated to orphanage homes.
The two-day National General Cleaning exercise commenced on Friday, July 10, across seven flood-affected regions as part of government’s efforts to improve sanitation, clear blocked drains and reduce the risk of future flooding following the June 29 floods.
The exercise, organised under the auspices of the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, is being implemented in two phases, with personnel from the security services, MMDAs and waste management companies leading activities on Friday, while members of the public are expected to participate on Saturday.
The clean-up initiative follows the devastating June 29 floods, which affected several communities, particularly in the Greater Accra Region, resulting in loss of lives, displacement of residents and extensive damage to property and infrastructure.
