The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has amended its 1995 bye-laws to issue stiffer punishments for culprits, to serve as a deterrent to offenders.
The document which was gazetted on 25th January 2019 was promulgated in accordance with Section 181 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) in December 2017, and approved by the Minister for Local Government.
The new regulatory framework has a total of 37 bye-laws which spells out comprehensive information on offences and sanctions compared to the 1995 bye-laws.
Provisions of the 2017 bye-laws include business operating permit, self-employed bye-law, the numbering of premises, control of animals bye-law, sanitation, cleaning, temporary structures, the operation of commercial vehicles as well as push trucks bye-law.
The rest are porters bye-law, control of hawkers, urban passenger transport services bye-law, communicable disease bye-law, births and deaths Registration bye-law, as well as control of dogs bye-law, building/physical development bye-law, maintenance of premises bye-law and environmental protection bye-law.
While some offences in the old bye-laws attracted lesser sanctions, a person who contravenes provisions in the new bye-laws is liable on summary conviction to a fine, not more than one hundred penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not less than thirty days and not more than six months or both. A case of a continuing offence is liable to a fine of not more than one penalty unit for each day that the offence is committed.
In 2018 the Assembly arrested and prosecuted 2,473 people for dumping refuse indiscriminately, openly defecating and urinating, discharging effluent into drains and non-availability of toilet facilities in their homes.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cautioned citizens to stop littering, warning that culprits caught would be arrested and prosecuted.
Delivering his third state of the nation address in Parliament on Thursday, 21 February 2019, the President said government intends to use the bye-laws to enforce cleanliness.
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Source: AMA