Business and property owners within the city are expected to live up to the re-introduced seven metres bylaw to be re-enforced by the Honiara City Council soon.
This bylaw will require property owners and business occupants to take responsibility in cleaning up and looking after up to seven metres of their surroundings.
This has been agreed to by the Honiara City Council Executive and will soon be imposed by the relevant HCC division in a renewed effort to clean up the city.
Those who failed their responsibilities are expected to face a fine of $10,000 on the spot.
City Mayor Alfrence Fatai confirmed this to the Solomon Star.
“This has been a concern for everyone and the council sees this fit, that businesses and property owners take that responsibility of seven meters from their properties.”
Fatai explained that they will be responsible for keeping this seven meters area clean at all times.
“Whatever measures taken by the property owner in keeping clean seven metres of their areas is theirs, the council is to ensure they do follow the bylaw, or face the prescribed penalty.
“Business owners are also responsible for removing or allowing vendors outside their properties.
“For those vendors allowed by property owners, they are to ensure to get the rightful permit required from the council,” Fatai said.
“This bylaw is to be implemented very soon, firstly, for property owners along the main streets of Honiara.
“It will be followed with close monitoring by an assigned taskforce. This bylaw will be expanded out to cover the entire city, so the general public must be prepared to be part of it.
“Property owners and the public will be notified on this through awareness.”
Fatai also revealed that the bylaw to do away with stray dogs will be reinforced.
“This has not been implemented for years and the increasing stray dog population in the city is becoming a nuisance.
“What the council would like to see is, pet owners have theirs tagged properly and are kept from straying the public streets,” he said.
“Penalties will be imposed on owners who failed to keep their pets at home.”
Fatai also said public toilets in the city will be considered along the same line, something the city has been without long enough.
“Existing public toilets will reopen including incomplete ones to be completed and open for public use.
“The council will take into account the unwanted attitude towards public toilet use, thus will ensure effective measure in monitoring is in place once they are open for public use.
“This will be done after proper renovations of the public toilets are done.”
By BRADFORD THEONOMI
