The La District Sanitation and Motor Court has sentenced one, Kwame Akyere to two months imprisonment for littering the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra.
Kwame Akyere was sentenced on his own plea due to his inability to pay a GH₵360 fine when he appeared before the court presided over by Her Worship Juliet Dudoo last week, together with some 35 other persons for the same offence.
The accused persons were arrested by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA’s) Sanitation and Monitoring taskforce while they patrolled the Central Business District (CBD).
They include Ebenezer Oduro , Kweku Bonsu , Nana yaw Amoesi , Akua Afriyie, Maa Abena , Ramatu Abukari, Kennedy Klutse, Ibrahim Mutalah , Adam Mariam , Asamoah Justice , Kojo Gyan , Appiah Johnson ,Ashia Abdullah, Christina Owusu, Ama Akyeme, Holy Opoku, Augustina Addai , Beauty Ayiyebu, Mohammed Ali, Jonathan Aidoo and Moro Ali.
The rest were Cynthia Fuseini, Ofori Adama Julie, Gifty Duku, Victoria Adeiaya, Ali Gyaa, Mary Mensah and William Eden.
Out of the number, eight traders, namely Akua Anorbea, Esther Peprah, Abena Asaba, Naomi Akrong, Portia Asor, Gifty Mensah, Gloria Abbor were cautioned and discharged by the court while 28 commuters were given various fines ranging between 15 and 30 penalty units.
According to the Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Mr. Gilbert Nii Ankrah the prosecution forms part of efforts by the Assembly to make the city clean adding that the Assembly, before the beginning of the operation earlier last week, cautioned the public and traders to desist from dumping indiscriminately and since then, the Assembly was bent on enforcing its bylaws.
“Before the operation, the Information Service Van was all over the CBD educating traders and commuters, even during weekends about the operation and the need to desist from littering the streets,” he said.
He noted that the AMA cleaning bye-law, 2017, “prohibits any person from throwing litter, refuse, or other matter into gutters, drain or unauthorised places which may cause nuisance or block the free passage of running water” and urged all to use bins.
He stressed that the Assembly’s task force would be on the lookout for such persons and ensure that the law takes its course to deter would-be offenders.
He also urged residents not to litter and desist from dumping into drains and unauthorised locations and register with accredited waste service providers to collect their waste to ensure a clean city.
