Tema, Feb. 22, GNA -- The Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA), is to embark on a massive clean-up exercise within the next two weeks to rid the city of filth.

In view of its limited resources and for its effectiveness the exercise will be in two phases with the first phase, including the cleaning of areas such as Tema Township, Manhean, Kpone, and Ashaiman. The second phase will cover Adenta, Ashaley Botwe, Adjiriganor, Lashibi, Adjei Kojo as well as communities 13 to 20. A round-table discussion to that effect was held on Wednesday with the Assembly's planning Committee and Zonal Council Chairmen. In an interview with the Public Relation's Officer of the Assembly, Mr Frank Asante, various youth groups, residents, security agencies, and other organizations, including Non-governmental Organizations would all be involved in the exercise.

He said the exercise would also be community based which would be led by various Zonal Council Chairmen to ensure the involvement of the grassroots.

He said the assembly is also soliciting support from companies in the Municipality and collaborating with the media in the area of awareness creation and public sensitisation.

It is to ensure its sustainability and to enhance the cleanliness of the city that we are involving residents and making them responsible so that after the exercise they will take care of their environment, the PRO stated.

He indicated that the Assembly would also embark on community outreach programmes, which would be in the form of fora in every electoral area where relevant sections of the Assembly's bye-laws will be explained to the people as well as sanctions that go with various offences under the environmental Sanitation bye-laws. The PRO however, appealed to co-operate bodies to support the Assembly with litterbins to augment the limited ones that it already has.

In a related development the TMA Chief Executive, Mr David Quaye Annang, has called for effective collaboration between the Assembly and its decentralized Departments to ensure proper planning of its developmental programmes.

At a meeting with the Departments heads, he reminded them of their effective role in the District Assembly's concept, especially on their participation in meetings of the Assembly as well as its sub-committees. He urged them to feed the assembly with their budget and financial programmes for support and also to feed it with all the necessary information regarding the Municipality to help it draw effective plans.