AMA arraigns sanitation offenders

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly on Tuesday arraigned before the La Magistrate Court eight persons for dumping refuse at unauthorised locations and open defecation in the metropolis.

Four of the accused Ahmed Diko, James Wajya, Ebenezer Creppy and Abdul Karim Ademu pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned for them to reappear on September 10, this year.

Nana Boakye, Alex Mensah, Kobena Apeletey, and Kwame Frimpong pleaded guilty and were fined 240.00 Ghana cedis each or in default serve two months imprisonment.

Prosecuting, Jacob Nii Aryee, an Environmental Health Officer of the AMA told the court presided over by Mrs Juliet Osei-Duodu that the accused were arrested at dawn between 1200 hours and 0200 hours by the AMA Sanitary Task Force for dumping refuse around Circle, Tudu, CMB, Railways and the International Central Gospel Church area at Abossey Okai.

Mr Charles Bosomprah, the Team Leader of the Task Force told the Ghana News Agency in an interview later that “we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Accra become clean and safe for the citizens.”

He advised landlords to provide toilet facilities in their homes for their tenants and also register with the accredited waste management contractors of the AMA to avoid being arrested and prosecuted.

He warned landlords and shop owners to stop engaging the services of people who collected their refuse and dumped them into drains and unauthorised places.

Mr Benjamin Morkeh, the Head of Operations of the Public Health Department of the AMA also told the GNA that a number of sensitisation exercise has been carried out for the people to desist from indiscriminately dumping of waste and open defecation, but they seem to have fallen on death ears, hence the dawn operations to arrest the perpetrators.

He appealed to the government for the supply of logistics, especially vehicles to enable them to expand their coverage areas.