Operators and managers of public toilets in the Ashaiman municipality have issued a notice of intention to commence legal proceeding against the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly over the seizure of some of the facilities under their control. The operators issued the notice in a letter dated October 5 and addressed to the Municipal Chief Executive through their legal representatives Kwasi Blay and Associates. A copy of the letter made available to the Ghana News Agency in Tema and signed by Mr Kwasi Blay stated that the law firm was acting on behalf of Seasuk Company Limited, Rajakwa Company Limited and 13 others. The operators said "certain unscrupulous personalities perceived to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the municipality without due process, seized and took over management of the public toilets under the management and care of our client". The letter elaborated that the first seizure lasted for four months with the second and third also lasting seven and three days respectively. It urged the assembly to take the necessary precautions to ward off trespassers from the toilet facilities and ensure that the operators delivered their services without any interruptions. Operators of the public toilets further averred that in two separate letters dated July 29 and September 29, 2009, they asked the assembly to extend the Franchise Agreement covering their operations for 17 weeks due to the unlawful seizures of the toilet facilities. The solicitors for the operators indicated that due to the silence of the assembly on the extension, their clients "hold the view that the Franchise Agreements have been extended by a further period of 17 weeks from December 01, 2010". The operators in the letter also denied allegations made by Mr Addison Adinortey Numo, Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive in his sessional address delivered at the assembly's second ordinary meeting of the second session on 29th and 30th September 2009. According to the letter, in the said address Mr Numo alluded that "complaint from the public on the poor conditions at the toilets, coupled with reports from the department of waste management confirmed the existence of nuisance, offensive odour and breeding of flies, thereby posing health hazards to the communities and the likelihood of an outbreak of an epidemic in the municipality". The letter noted that the statement was a deliberate ploy to incite the assembly members and the public against them and create an atmosphere to unilaterally terminate the franchise agreement. They stated that they have religiously maintained and kept a clean environment at all the public toilets. Source: GNA