Mt Hagen imposes K200 fine for betelnut vendors

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
THE Mt Hagen city authority will fine anyone K200 for selling or chewing betelnut in the city as of Feb 1.
This is one of 30 by-laws the authority will be implementing next month in its effort to keep the city clean.
City manager Victor Megao said yesterday his men would be working closely with police to enforce the law.
Megao said betelnut chewers must finish chewing outside before entering the city’s commercial centre.
City rangers would be stationed at every bus stop and some would be moving around the city checking on people.
He said if his rangers saw anyone chewing betelnuts they would be asked to pay the spot fine regardless of whether he or she spits on the streets or into rubbish bins.
Megao said betelnut stains on the walls of shops, buildings, foot paths and on the streets did not portray a good image of the city.
Many people had an attitude problem and did not care where they threw their rubbish, he said.
Others brought betelnuts into the city and sold them on the streets.
Megao said the only way to ban betelnuts was to impose high spot fines on chewers and sellers.
Those who could not afford to pay the fines would be formally charged and taken to the district court.
If the court find them guilty, they would be sentence to three months in Baisu jail with hard labour.
Megao said other street markets would be stopped in the city.
People engaged in the informal businesses would be doing their businesses from designated areas allocated by the city authority when the Informal Sector Bill was passed in 2004.
He said enough was enough and they want to start something new in the new year.