By Gladys Fred Kole
Juba City Council (JCC) leadership has issued a stern warning to the roadside business operators over unnecessary littering and occupying roads.
H.W Mogga Franco Wani the JCC deputy mayor for administration and finance currently acting mayor, said they have requested the small-scale businesses operating along the main streets to at least vacate five metres away from the road.
According to Mogga who is the current acting city mayor, the directives come in response to alarming rate of accidents happening along those streets due to congestion.
“And we believe that this is because of this kind of congestion that all of us as city council and our business community within the city we can be able to avoid the continuity of this accidents” he said.
Mogga highlighted that they are still trying to sensitize the people and if they don’t adhere to the directives the city municipal authorities are going to consider imposing measures to make sure that these bylaws are respected.
He also noted that in terms of waste management they have realized that roadside vendors litter the streets.
“Our message to our vendors and all forms of businesses within JCC please maintain cleanness, everyone must have a basket for garbage collection. The vendors should find possible ways to contain their garbage because we have our team in all the blocks responsible to collect all the garbage” Mogga stated.
He spoke yesterday while addressing the business community in Juba town block.
Meanwhile the deputy mayor for Environmental affairs H.W Emmanuel Juma Deiuo said their mandate is only one as city council they work with block quarter council.
“We don’t want this issue of being close to the roadside because this is making people come to the roadside and making the movement and staying narrow causing jam” he clarified the directives.
“From today onwards if you don’t listen it will be implemented it will happen, we want order” he echoed.
“Our traders of Konyoknyo please lets us follow the guidelines people should buy things in the right places. Our traders all of us let us go with the guidelines of the country.” Juma added.
He urged that traders to ensure that, customers buy things from a clean environment.
“We don’t want people to buy things in contaminated places and smelly with flies. Fruits and food stuffs should be in a clean safe place” H.W Juma expressed.
The chief executive officer JCC Alex Bennet cited that the issue of the issue of washing, repairing and littering along the roadside is not good.
“As our mayor has stated that no one should litter garbage and also wash, repair cars and motorcycles along the roads so we had started with Munuki, on Sunday Kator and today Juba block” he started. “My message is that lets all stand and clean especially our people who operate their businesses along the road.”
He cautioned that the next time they shall now come to inspect is with actions saying as for now they are just passing a message.
For his part the Director of Juba Block, Micheal Francis Lobang said the launch of this cleaning campaign is to create awareness of cleaning the environment.
“Most of our people are not adhering to laws as such we took the opportunity to make a long-term plan that we shall try our level best if we continue with, it will eradicate waste dumping in JCC in general.” Lobang said.
He underscored that this is a great opportunity for the people in Konyokonyo, citing that cleaning is the responsibility for every citizen and not only City Council to carry the burden.