The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has arrested five (5) people for littering and dumping refuse into drains at the Agbogbloshie Market in Accra.
The offenders were arrested last Friday when Sanitation officials from the AMA embarked on a regular patrol at the market to sack traders selling on the shoulders of the roads.
The five include an onion seller who was arrested for transacting business on the drains and shoulders of the road.
The others who had their wares confiscated were also picked up for failing to properly dispose of waste generated and dumping rubbish right at the edge of open drains.
The Sanitation Team leader Mr Gordon Akoria in an interview said that the arrest was preceded by several warnings.
“We have realized that the traders here violate the law with great impunity and if we do not put measures we will not be able to bring sanity so now we are going to ensure that every day we patrol here,” he said.
He added that some market women collect refuse at their trading posts and later dispose of them in open drains at night which according to him ends up in the major drains.
Commercial tricycle operators who were busy attending to their business on the shoulders of the road were also asked to vacate.
Before the traders were arrested for their offences they had to tidy up the place.
The leader again mentioned that the effect of their regular enforcement was yielding good results since the traffic was flowing
“For the past one week, we have realised that there is free flow vehicular movement on the road. None of the traders is on the road but they are still on the dwarf wall and that is why we continue to seize their products. From tomorrow we will arrest them instead of seizing their products “he reiterated.
Despite the challenges, the Assembly is ready to ramp up enforcement to instil discipline. The AMA hopes that the arrested would serve as a deterrent to those who have intentions of coming to join them on the shoulders of the road. This is also to encourage market women to keep their frontage clean for us to reach the long-term goal of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa.