Regional News of Friday, 2 May 2003

Source: gna

Celebration of festivals to be streamlined in Ketu District

The Ketu District Assembly is to streamline celebration of festivals by communities, which demand financial support from the Assembly.

Mr Linus Koffie, Ketu District Chief Executive said this at the two-day Second ordinary meeting of the fifth session of the Assembly at Denu.

He noted that the measures, if well co-ordinated, would relieve pressure on the Assembly's finances.

The DCE said the streamlining would help promote development and tourism to generate funds for the District Assembly.

Mr Koffie spoke against the haphazard way of putting up buildings in the district due to disregard for the Assembly's development plan and refusal by developers to obtain building permits.

For proper demarcation of plots for recreational grounds, schools and markets, Mr Koffie said he would ask for approval of funds for the Town and Planning and the Survey Departments to do proper demarcation.

He asked the assembly to consider acquiring a grader, tractor and a tipper truck for constant repair works on roads in the district instead of relying on the Department of Feeder Roads and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) for equipment.

Mr Koffie said since January 2001 to date, the Assembly had spent more than 105.1 million cedis to support needy students at various levels of education with some still on the waiting list.

He asked for other sources to generate funds for the District Education Endowment fund, which now depends solely on the common fund.

On the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the DCE asked the Assemblymen to advise their people to join the scheme.

The DCE said the Assembly was pursuing a vibrant policy, which would make water available to many people in the district.

He, therefore, urged the Assembly members to mobilise the people to pay the five percent contributions for the various water projects in the district for work to commence.