The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has fined some 40 traders at the Rawlings Park in Accra an amount of GH¢ 4,000 for failing to comply with the directive to suspend trading activities during the National Sanitation Day (NSD) clean-up exercise.
The traders were fined on Monday after they appealed to the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey to intervene and allow them to resume trading, following the Assembly’s decision to stop them from selling for opening their shops and engaging in business activities despite prior notice to suspend all commercial activities during the NSD clean-up exercise.
The NSD clean-up exercise formed part of the AMA’s efforts to improve environmental sanitation, promote public health and ensure the active participation of residents, traders and businesses in keeping the city clean.
Speaking after the fine, Mayor Allotey said the NSD directive was not meant to punish traders but to ensure that all persons contributed to the cleanliness of the metropolis.
He explained that the NSD exercise required the cooperation of all stakeholders, particularly traders in busy commercial areas such as Rawlings Park, Makola, Agbogbloshie and the Central Business District to maintain cleanliness in the city.
They pointed out that several announcements were made ahead of the exercise, warning traders, shop owners and hawkers to suspend business activities and take part in the clean-up, but some refused, hence the fine.
He noted that the traders who failed to comply had to be fined as a deterrent to others who might disregard future sanitation directives, adding that the exercise was aimed at clearing refuse, desilting drains, removing filth from trading areas and improving general cleanliness in the metropolis, especially as the rainy season approached.
He noted that poor sanitation practices, including indiscriminate dumping of refuse, choked drains and non-compliance with sanitation regulations, continued to pose serious risks to public health and could contribute to flooding in the city.
He urged traders and residents to make the NSD a lifestyle, take issues of cleanliness seriously and support the Assembly’s efforts to make Accra cleaner, safer and healthier.
The Mayor cautioned that the Assembly would continue to enforce its sanitation by-laws and not hesitate to sanction persons who flouted directives during future clean-up exercises.
He called on market leaders, shop owners, transport operators and residents to cooperate fully with the Assembly and take collective responsibility for maintaining cleanliness in their communities.
