Mr Kwabena Karikari, Assin District Chief Executive (DCE), on Thursday said work has begun on the provision of 40 additional telephone lines and 20 phone booths in the District.

Mr Karikari who made the announcement at the first ordinary meeting of the assembly at Assin Fosu, said the two Members of Parliament (MPs) of the area, Professor Dominic Fobih and Mr Ken Ohene Agyepong were also arranging with Spacefon to extend their services to the district.

He said the extension of the telephone lines had become necessary because the district capital currently has only two phone booths and eight private communication centres, which to him, are below the service demand of the public.

Mr Karikari said the National Aids Commission (NAC) had released funds to eight Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to embark on vigorous awareness campaign against the HIV/AIDS.

He charged assembly members and health workers to monitor the activities of the organisations for NAC to achieve its objectives.

The 73-member Assembly passed a resolution to the Administrator of the Common Fund to transfer the assembly's Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) account from the National Investment Bank (NIB) at Cape Coast because it was far from Assin Foso.

They suggested that the fund be sent through other Commercial or Rural banks that have branches at Foso to make it easier for beneficiaries to cash their money.

Members of the Assembly observed that because the bank has no branch at Assin Foso, beneficiaries of the fund always travel about 150 kilometres to obtain their money.

Mr Tony Arthur, presiding member of the assembly, commended government's decision to create a new district out of the existing one to pave way for the rapid socio-economic development of the area.