Professor Frimpong Boateng
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, will this week meet managers of Happy Sunshine Company over the latter’s failure to comply with regulations guiding its operations.
This follows a directive from the sector Minister, Professor Frimpong Boateng asking the company to cease operations.
Residents close to the factory have complained of the health implications posed by the activities of the company, and have strongly advocated for its relocation.
The Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Environment, Nasir Ahmed Yartey, told Citi Newsthat the meeting is expected to yield concrete results that would bring finality to the matter.
The Happy Sunshine Tomato factory, which belongs to some Chinese expatriates, has been at the forefront of major public criticism after series of protest by residents of Korleman City, an estate at Kuntunse in the Ga West Municipality over the negative effect of the company’s operations in the area including noise, air, and environmental pollution.
The company was fined GHc 15,000 by the EPA in August 2017, for operating illegally, whilst it was also ordered to halt any form of production.
However, the management of the tomato factory violated the order and resumed full production in November.
The residents, who held a meeting with the MCE in a bid to get him to ensure the company’s closure and subsequent relocation, accused him of rather shielding the company at the expense of their health.
The EPA on the other hand, appeared adamant after their initial orders were disrespected with the tacit support of the Ga West Municipal Assembly intervened.
This forced the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, has ordered the closure of a Chinese Tomato paste factory operating unlawfully in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
–citifmonline.com