Ouagadougou: The Special Delegation of the commune of Ouahigouya, through its technical services, is hard at work to clean up the anarchic occupation of public space. A first stage of raising awareness among the population about good practices has been initiated.
After the awareness phase, the municipality is in the phase of implementing the decision of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security (MATDS), inviting the populations not to anarchically occupy the edges of the roads .
The MATDS had, in 2023, initiated a note inviting occupants of road shoulders in medium and large towns to vacate them. The deadline for compliance with the decision having expired since the beginning of November 2023, the Director of municipal technical services (DSTM) of the commune of Ouahigouya Inoussa Ouédraogo indicated that ‘it is the duty of our community, led by Botetessan Bonou, to respect this decision, the objective of which is to contribute to the safety of road users, especially within t
he city.’
The head of municipal technical services, in close collaboration with the president of the land affairs and planning commission of the special delegation of Ouahigouya Moussa Dramé, indicated that awareness sessions in the field, widely distributed press releases and radio broadcasts carried out before explain the basis for the decision.
Indeed, the observation in the city of Naaba Kongo was not the most positive in relation to the occupation of public space for some time. Citizens had settled anarchically in the gutters while it was formally prohibited.
Through awareness raising, the paths have been cleared. At the Ouahigouya market, the security situation was so worrying that it was necessary to take action because of the incivility of the populations. At the beginning of May, municipal services moved to another stage, evictions and seizures of goods at the ‘Naab-Raga’ women’s market, to free up the alleys and roadsides adjoining the central market of Ouahigouya with the support of the municipa
l police.
‘We are satisfied with the work already carried out and which, moreover, continues, especially on National Road number 2 and on certain asphalt roads inside the city, even if there is still work to be done’ will reassure those responsible for the operation.
To remain in the logic of deterrence, the DSTM teams are permanently and for three more months, on the ground to ensure the strict application of the decision and consolidate the achievements. Municipal service managers plan to take actions in the short and medium term, according to Mr. Ouédraogo.
‘The municipality intends to revitalize the two markets (sectors 10 and 13) which have not been lively until now. Women will be asked to occupy them in order to resolve the problem of anarchic occupation of public spaces for commerce,’ indicated Mr. Ouédraogo.
Ouédraogo and Mr. Dramé will announce that the municipality intends to erect chain strips very soon at the ‘Naab-Raga’ women’s market so that it can comply with the provisions on the shoulders
. This will help improve road safety.
The heads of the municipal technical services of Ouahigouya appeal to the population to be civic-minded. ‘We ask the entire population of Ouahigouya to help the town hall so that together we can really have a beautiful, clean city with a population receptive to new laws and public decisions’ wished the men of Botetessan Bonou President of the Special Delegation (PDS ) of the commune of Ouahigouya.
Source: Burkina Information Agency