Consistent with Governor Bassey Otu's policy thrust in restoring the clean and green status, as well as enforce the State's Environmental Law, Cross River State Government, on Saturday, arraigned some defaulters of the state's law to court.
Speaking to journalists during the monthly sanitation monitoring exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Moses Osogi, stated that the law will take its full course on erring residents, adding that punishments to defaulters would serve as deterrent to others who flout government directives.
Osogi frowned at the flagrant disobedience to the state's law by some residents in the metropolis, and disclosed that the mobile courts which has started its operations is empowered to try defaulters to the state's environmental sanitation law without fear or favour.
He informed newsmen that for the March exercise, the enforcement team impounded some vehicles as well as make seizure of reasonable number trading wares from traders who also flouted the order while the sanitation lasted to enforce compliance.
On decentralization of the exercise, the Environment commissioner, maintained that the exercise which holds simultaneously across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state are coordinated by the Heads of Urban Development Authorities across the urban centres.
"In Calabar Metropolis, we have engaged Environmental personnel to oversee the exercise and enfo ce compliance while our mobile courts are also situated in each of the Urban Centers across the state," Osogi pointed.
As at the time of compiling this report, significant compliance was recorded as residents were seen engaging actively in the cleanliness of their immediate surroundings and also the evacuation of waste from the drains.
In separate interview, residents lamented the irregular evacuations,? Which has led to accumulated waste and called for urgent Government's intervention.
Commissioner Osogi was accompanied on the monitoring exercise by his team of enforcement personnel including the Permanent Secretary ,Ministry of Environment Mrs. Rosemary Onah, Ambassadors and volunteers of Earth Environment and Climate Care Ambassadors (EECCA).
In another development, The Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Moses Osogi in a contentious attempt to stop illegal excavation of sand at Jonathan bypass, has arrested some truck drivers and also impounded their vehicles, saying that the move was made to halt pending erosion cases along the road.
By Ebi Collins, The Beagle News
