Containers with refuse at the gates of some houses

Teshie residents kick against Daben Cleaning Services

Kwame Larweh May - 05 - 2017 , 05:43 2 minutes read

Residents of Teshie Nungua Estates and GREDA Estates have vowed to embark on a demonstration if the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) does not abrogate "a midnight" contract it awarded to refuse collecting company, Daben Cleaning Services, in December last year.

Subsequently, they are refusing to allow Daben Cleaning Services to collect their refuse in the municipality.
They are also refusing to pay the GH¢50 monthly fee the cleaning agency has planned to charge them.

Agitation
The angry residents who spoke to the Daily Graphic noted that Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the usual refuse collecting agency, had been collecting refuse for the past 15 years and charged them only GH¢20 a month.
They added that after the contract with Daben, whom they have dealt with before in the past and rejected due to the unsatisfactory services, refuse had piled up in their houses.
An agitated resident told the Daily Graphic that in the past, the refuse agency that worked in the area collected any amount of refuse provided the client paid the stipulated fee.
The Daily Graphic sighted a letter signed by the Municipal Coordinating Director on behalf of the MCE which gives Daben Cleaning Services the authority to collect refuse from Teshie Nungua Estates, GREDA Estates and its environs.
According to a resident, Mr Ebo Bartels, they paid for their own refuse, not LEKMA and, therefore, LEKMA could not decide who should collect their refuse.
They vowed to resist any attempt by LEKMA to force Daben Cleaning Services on them.
The residents have, therefore, given LEKMA a one-week ultimatum to bring back Zoomlion or they would hit the streets with a massive protest.

Rebuttal
Meanwhile, an official of LEKMA, Mr Kodjoe Dekpo, told the Daily Graphic that not a single resident had come to launch a protest against Daben Cleaning Services at his office.
He contended that residents had the right to determine who collected their rubbish if they had a problem with any of the refuse collecting agencies.
However, Mr Dekpo described the recent agitation as rumour-mongering from unscrupulous persons and accused some officials of Zoomlion for the confusion currently raging in the municipality.
He was, however, surprised that with no report of any complaint from residents against Daben, some residents who had never made a report to LEKMA were claiming they did not like the services of the cleaning agency.