TMA embarks on exercise to confiscate stray animals
The Tema Metropolitan Assembly has embarked on an exercise to arrest stray animals in the port city.
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The exercise is being undertaken by a taskforce, including staff of the Environmental Health Department of the Assembly, to deal with the nuisance of stray animals.
Animals to be affected by the exercise include cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, hens, cats and the like.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the exercise, the Public Relations Officer for the TMA, Frank Asante, said per the law, animals, as named above, were to be confined by their respective owners, thus those who failed to comply would have their animals confiscated.
He said owners of such animals were given a one-week ultimatum to find suitable confinement for these animals and added that on the expiry of this notice, the assembly would deploy a taskforce into the communities to arrest stray animals
The harbour city of Tema prides itself on being one of the best planned urban settlements in Ghana, if not in West Africa.
With the construction of the Tema Harbour in 1962, the city grew into the industrial hub of Ghana, with a carefully constructed road layout featuring landscaping and street lights.
Unfortunately, the metropolis is now living on its past glory, as the city of Tema is gradually losing its glory as a well planned city due to haphazard development and encroachment, in spite of efforts by the city authorities to curb such menace
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Another issue that keeps escalating by day is the issue of stray animals in some parts of the industrial city.
Stray animals, especially cattle, are seen occasionally loitering in the middle of some of the roads in Tema and within some communities as some herdsmen have taken the law into their own hands by letting loose their livestock to feed on the nearby pastures.
Besides the public nuisance and danger, sanitation is a major worry, as the animals drop their waste along the streets.
Apart from the cattle, there are concerns about the increasing numbers of stray dogs and the risk of they being infected with rabies.
The PRO of the Assembly explained that under Section 181 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), the Assembly was mandated to take steps to control stray animals, stressing that any seized animal would be detained until the owner paid to the TMA a fee covering the impounding and maintenance of the animal as might be determined by the Fee Fixing Resolution of the Assembly.
He said announcements would be made through the media platforms available, thereafter the owners who failed to show up would have their animals auctioned.
He advised owners of animals, especially livestock, to exercise due care in order not to fall foul of the bye-law.
“Let us all come together to adhere to this directive to make Tema shine again,’ he said.
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