The exercise commenced at 5:00 am on Wednesday and was spear­headed by Mr Adam Abubakari Takoro, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of TaMA, along with the assembly’s task force compris­ing security personnel, supported by the military, police, and other security organisations.

The task force, in collaboration with the security agencies, disman­tled the illegal structures situated on the pavements that hinder pe­destrian movement and disrupt the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

Mr Takoro addressing the media after the exercise said the decongestion was to ensure sanity and discipline on the roads in the metropolis.

“The indiscipline on our roads in the Metropolis is very bad, hence the decongestion exercise,” he stated.

He affirmed his outfit commit­ment to maintain order within the metropolis, following the success­ful completion of the deconges­tion exercise.

The MCE stated that a well-trained and dedicated task force would be stationed at key locations across the central business district to ensure strict compliance with the new directives.

He said the task force would be made up of members of the po­lice, national security, city guards, Assembly members, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that there was absolute sanity in every part of the roads in the metropolis.

Mr Takoro further explained that the measures was aim to prevent a relapse into the previous state of congestion in the metrop­olis.

He added that the exercise would also go a long way to ensure that the city remain well organised and accessible for free movement of pedestrians.

“By maintaining order and ensuring compliance with the new directives, the Tamale Metropoli­tan Assembly aims to improve the quality of life for residents and make the city a more attractive place to live, work, and visit,” Mr Takoro indicated.

According to him, the assembly was designed for not only to create a city that was adequately organ­ised but also clean and accessible to every part of the assembly.

The initiative, he emphasised, was a step towards achieving the vision and the assembly was con­fident that with the cooperation of all stakeholders, Tamale would become a model of urban planning and management in northern part of the country.

He also stated that the sus­tainability of the exercise was his priority for the metropolis, adding that the task force would work tirelessly to maintain the gains of the decongestion exercise

Moreover, the MCE, however, appealed to residents, traders, hawkers, and transport operators to cooperate fully with the task force to support the initiative to succeed.

Some of the traders informed the publication during an interview that they were notified about the exercise by the assembly a month prior, but they had no choice but to adhere to the authorities.