WE NEED TO REGULATE MONEY TRANSACTION BOOTHS - COUNCILLOR
ALL mobile money transaction booths should be placed in one location for easy regulation and maintenance of law and order, says PF Independence ward councillor George Daka.
Mr Daka said that the identification of a suitable place where the booths would be housed was in the process.
Mr Daka regretted the increased number of booths in communities as well as in the central business district (CDB) saying it was proving to be a nuisance.
Mr Daka said all mobile money operators should be operating where they could have access to waste management and sanitation because they were dumping litter anyhow.
Mr Daka who is also chairperson in charge of health said the local authority would continue cleaning the city to ensure that sanity was returned in bide to the outbreaks.
He disclosed that at the moment the council was not collecting any Levy from the booth operators because mostly were not licensed, therefore making losses.
“In order to maintain the city clean there is need to ensure that booths that are operating in the central business district as well as in other areas should be contributing a certain amount towards garbage collection and should also be operating where they will have access to sanitation and waste bins,” said Mr Daka.
And Mr Daka observed that the increase is mobile money transaction booths especially in CBD was an indication that there was a lucrative business and the owners were making lots of money.
He said the council needed every coin that could be collected to go towards the cleaning of the city.
In January this year, a team of Lusaka City Council (LCC) police swung into action and uprooted 22 booths in CBD and along Church Road. The booths were uprooted because they were planted without the planning permission of the council.
The booths were illegally and wrongly placed resulting in them obstructing motorists and littering the area.
The local authority has been appealing to residents intending to set booths in the city to always seek permission from the Council so that they could be guided properly.
LCC has identified suitable places in the city for placing of booths in an orderly manner.
However, some residents still want to continue placing booths in areas of their own desire disregarding the Council's plan.
“LCC wishes to warn booths that illegally placed booths will not only be uprooted but will also be confiscated by the Council and owners be
All mobile money operators should be operating where they can have access to waste management and sanitation.