The Environmental Health Department of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has embarked on an unannounced visit to inspect the sanitary and hygienic conditions at hotels and restaurants within the Takoradi Sub-Metro. The exercise formed part of the 'Operation clean your surroundings' campaign being implemented by the Assembly. The campaign, which was launched in November last year, is a component of a three-year European Union (EU)-funded Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP) being implemented by the STMA, Palermo Municipality in Italy and other partners. It was to enforce the Assembly's environmental sanitation by-laws and encourage citizens to take responsibility for their actions towards a clean environment. The campaign also sought to raise awareness on cleanliness, hygiene, waste management, and environmental preservation through media campaigns and the deployment of a task force to ensure residents complied with sanitation by-laws. As part of the campaign's implement ation modalities, a task force undertakes unannounced visits to households, eateries, hospitality facilities, markets, transport terminals among other places to inspect the state of sanitation and hygiene within those areas. During the visits, it was found out that some staff of some the facilities operated without medical certificates of fitness, others improperly disposed of their waste, with some operating without environmental and occupancy permits among other nuisances.  Those found culpable of violating the STMA's sanitation by-laws were handed spot fines and ordered to correct all identified nuisances within a specified timeline.  Mr Abdul Karim Hudu, the STMA Environmental Health Officer, who led the task force, said the exercise was to ensure that hospitality facilities operated under good sanitary and hygienic environment to help safeguard the health of those who patronised their services.  He said: 'All those who have been found with all nuisances and fined, if they fail to pay and put everythi ng in order, we will prosecute them so that the right thing is done.' Mr Hudu stated that all these measures put in place by the STMA would help to improve the general sanitation practices within the Metropolis and enhance the overall well-being of the people. The Metro Environmental Officer noted that the task force would continue its unannounced inspections across the Metropolis to help achieve the campaign's objectives. Source: Ghana News Agency