The Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Richard Ofori Agyemang-Boadi, has ordered the immediate closure of Alpha and Omega Chop Bar at Krobo-Odumase in Kumasi’s Central Business District, citing severe sanitary breaches.

The action followed an inspection by the Mayor, who detected a strong, offensive odour emanating from an overflowing drainage system that posed significant health risks to traders and commuters in the area.

Investigations revealed that waste from the food joint had blocked the drains, while operations of a public toilet behind the establishment, lacking a proper septic tank, worsened the situation by discharging effluent directly into the drainage system.

The Mayor confirmed that the owners of the toilet facility, along with over ten other shops contributing to the unsanitary conditions, have been summoned to court for operating without proper permits.

“We are summoning all of them to court for the law to deal with them,” he said.

Mayor Ofori Agyemang-Boadi urged all operators of food outlets and sanitation facilities to comply with environmental and public health regulations, warning that failure to do so would attract strict penalties.

“We expect strict adherence to the laws. Public health cannot be compromised,” he added.