By
Laudia Sawer, GNA
Accra, Sept 12, GNA – Mr Ishmael Ashitey, Greater
Accra Regional Minister, has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District
Assemblies in the Region to strictly enforce their sanitation bye laws devoid
of political interference.
Mr Ashitey said the indiscriminate dumping of
refuse, open defecation and other sanitation challenges are high in the Greater
Accra Region due to the inability of the Assemblies to enforce the laws
including the prosecution of perpetrators.
He noted that “all these things are
happening because you are not enforcing the laws even though you have the power
to do so”.
He charged them on Wednesday when he opened a
three-day annual conference of the Greater Accra Presiding Members’ Conference
on the theme: “Improve sanitation management in all MMDAs – the role of
presiding members”.
He urged them not to allow politicians,
opinion leaders, and other known persons to intervene in such matters but
rather resolve to implement the laws and create sanitation courts to speed up
prosecution.
The Regional Minister reminded the 25
Presiding Members to support their respective Assemblies to fight against bad
sanitation practices such as open defecation and wanton disposal of waste in
their respective areas.
He advised them not to lose sight of the
perennial flooding of Accra during the rainy season and ensure that the
Assemblies desilted gutters, cleaned drains and removed all debris in
waterways.
Mr Ashitey further instructed MMDAs to
immediately clear all unauthorized structures springing up in their areas but
should not wait for slums to be created before attempting to demolish which
would lead to public outcry.
Mr Amuyao David Narh, National Chairman for
Presiding Members, in a welcoming address, said for the country to be clean,
leaders and citizens needed to practice sanitation management in all the MMDAs.
Mr Narh added that Sanitation management
required enforcement of their bye-laws, indicating however that the obsolete
ones needed to be amended while new ones introduced to cater for modern needs.
Mr Joseph Korto, Secretary, Greater Accra
Presiding Members Conference, called for the payment of salaries to Assembly Members
just like the Article 71 holders to cater for their welfare.
GNA