The Cross River State Ministry of Environment has intensified enforcement of environmental regulations during the October statewide environmental sanitation exercise, with particular attention to restoring order and ensuring compliance at 8 Miles Market in Calabar Municipality.
Speaking to journalists shortly after monitoring the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Bassey Offiong Mensah, condemned the activities of traders who obstruct drainage channels by erecting wooden structures and creating additional trading spaces along the streets.
While expressing concern for traders who depend on their businesses for livelihood, the Commissioner stressed that economic activities must be conducted in accordance with established environmental regulations.
He maintained that the government would not tolerate practices that obstruct public infrastructure and aggravate environmental problems.
On his part, the General Manager of the Cross River State Waste Management Agency, Hon. Bassey Otudor, commended residents of Calabar South for their cooperation and compliance during the sanitation exercise.
Mensah, who led the Calabar Municipal monitoring and supervision team, announced the immediate desilting of drainage channels throughout 8 Miles Market. He also vowed to intensify enforcement of the ban on street trading in the area.
Meanwhile, the 8 Miles Market leader and some traders expressed satisfaction with the operation carried out by the sanitation team, noting that the market had sufficient space to accommodate all traders without obstructing public roads and drainage channels.
The team also demolished illegal structures along the Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC) axis, while commercial activities were prohibited around Army Junction in the Ikot Effanga area.
By Sylvia Okoi
