SEKONDI/TAKORADI LAUNCHES 'CHOCOLATE VALENTINE CLEAN-UP' (PAGE 25)

In support of the government’s determination to wage a relentless war on filth in parts of the country in its first hundred days in office, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), led by the outgoing Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, has launched “Chocolate Valentine Clean-up” programme to be undertaken in the metropolis on the 14th of this month.
The resumption of trading activities by thousands of traders on the streets of the metropolis has resulted in tremendous increase in refuse generated daily within the Central Business District.
However, the communal spirit that drives the public to make use of the litter bins are completely missing and every little waste find its way onto the street.
The assembly at a point provided waste bins at vantage points for the people but these have been destroyed because some residents carry their domestic waste with fire and dump them in the plastic bins.
At the launch of the “Chocolate Valentine Clean-up” the Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Mr John Laste, said the exercise would be undertaken in collaboration with the residents, the business community, the security services, the manufacturing companies and traders.
He explained that choosing Valentine’s Day where the originator of the well-celebrated day helped people to express their love, was a very important step in finding a solution to sanitation in the city.
He urged companies and individuals to come out that day to clean the city. Mr Laste said the assembly had made enough preparation to ensure that waste was collected.
He said the assembly would sustain the programme to ensure that the city was clean, adding that “we are not only interested in getting the city clean, but also speaking to the conscience of the people who make it their habit to litter everywhere”.
He said the clean-up would be sustained and also there would be stiffer punishment for those who littered indiscriminately to serve as a deterrent to others.
“I am therefore appealing to members of the general public to come out on Valentine’s Day to lend a helping hand so that we can beautify the city,” he said.