The much heralded ‘Operation Clean your Frontage, an initiative by the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (GARCC) to improve the sanitary conditions in the region commenced yesterday in Accra.
The initiative makes it compulsory for all individuals and corporate entities to clean and green their immediate surroundings.
To enable its enforcement, all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) passed a by-law late last year.
The initiative forms part of the ‘Let’s Make Accra Work’ agenda, being spearheaded by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey.
A float to sensitise residents on the initiative, was thus held through some principal streets in Accra including Central Business District (CBD), Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Lapaz Highway, Kaneshie, amidst loud music and announcements for all to get involved.
Participants included personnel from the security services, national service staff in the region and staff. They wore white attire with the inscription “Operation Clean Your Frontage,” “Let’s Make Accra Work,” “I Need You, You Need Me” aimed at creating awareness.
The Ghanaian Times observed that some of the Assemblies had already commenced enforcement of the operation by clearing traders and removing commercial buses from road pavements, as was the case at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and Kaneshie Market.
Some planned activities to be undertaken under the operation include daily sweeping of streets, curbs, walkways, and open spaces and picking of litter from walkways, road medians and open spaces.
Additionally, daily collection of refuse from streets, road medians, and public open spaces, emptying of street bins, installation of concrete bins on major roads, desilting of public drains, regular weeding of road medians, greening of public open spaces road medians and road shoulders and periodic curbs painting on ceremonial streets.
It would also involve the establishment of transfer stations in the various MMDAs to enable easy disposal of waste by the collectors and deployment of a City Response Team which would be responsible for enforcement.
Already, about 3,500 youth have been recruited and undergoing training to form the City Response Team, just like the City Guards, to help in the implementation and policing of the agenda.
The City Response Team would police every vicinity and major intersection in Accra.
Also, there will be established special call centres with toll-free lines to receive calls/complaints from sanitation informants.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which was partnering the GARCC to roll-out the campaign, has made available 1,000 container-installed tricycles and 58 compactors to be deployed across the region.
Speaking to the media, MrQuartey urged all residents to join the campaign to make Accra clean and conducive to attract the needed investments.
He said although the operation had commenced as expected, the Rapid Response Team which was to ensure strict adherence to the by-laws were undergoing training.
The Minister noted that by March this year, the first batch of the Team would be deployed to the various MMDAs to ensure that hawkers do not sell on the streets.
He said the Assemblies had been directed to collect and submit data of traders who ply their business along the street in their assembly.
This, Mr Quartey said, was necessary to enable the GARCC to make available adequate space in the markets for them to rid the streets of hawking.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
