The New Juaben Municipal Assembly has asked for public support for its decongestion exercise, which will take place in March 2022.

The exercise is to ensure environmental cleanliness, safety, and the free flow of people, goods, and services in Koforidua.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday about the exercise, Mr Isaac Apau Gyasi, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), urged the media to help educate the public about the campaign, which is devoid of partisan politics.

He described the exercise as the "mother of all decongestion," but cautioned that success would require complete cooperation.

Mr Gyasi said the exercise would be carried out with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service's Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD), city guards and state agencies.

The overarching goal is to remove illegal structures from road shoulders, clear traders who obstruct pedestrian movements along walkways or pavements and allow free flow of vehicular traffic.

The municipal assembly, according to the MCE, has provided sheds and lockable stores for vendors at Zongo market, Agatha market and Beads market.

He said the exercise was not to deprive anyone of their rights to a source of income but rather to protect lives and property while ensuring sanity and orderliness in the city's development.

The exercise would begin at Koforidua Central Market and other vantage points, including the traffic light near B. Foster, Agatha Market and the Metro Mass Transit station.

The MCE expressed optimism that the decongestion exercise would be successful this time and said the assembly had held a series of engagements with stakeholders, including transport unions, shop owners associations, market associations, and assembly members over the last four months.

The decongestion exercise is phase one of ensuring a clean and modernized city and the second phase would be operation clean your frontage.