Mumford (C/R), May 12, GNA - The Central Region Co-ordinating Council has appointed a committee of seven eminent citizens to help the Council to settle chieftaincy and land disputes in the region.

Members of the committee are Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast; Rt Rev Isaac Quansah, Bishop of Cape Coast diocese of the Methodist church; Professor K.A. Andam, former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; Mrs Gifty Afenyi Dadzie, a Member of the Council of State; Rev Professor Addo Obeng, Vice Chancellor, University of Cape Coast; Professor George Hagan, Chairman of National Commission on Culture and Mrs Justice Frances Owusu Arhin of Judicial Service, Accra. Nana Ato Arthur, Regional Minister announced this at Mumford on Friday when he inspected a proposed site for a landing beach in the town.

The Regional Minister bemoaned the high rate of chieftaincy disputes in the region and said they were retarding development. "Chieftaincy is to promote peace and development so we cannot sit down unconcerned for the institution to turn rather the opposite in our region," Nana Arthur stressed. He said four towns in the region, including Mumford were to be provided with landing beaches to promote the fishing industry. He assured the people that the rehabilitation of the town's roads had not been abandoned and that work on them would be completed before next year.

The Regional Minister explained that even though expansion work on the Kwanyaku Water head, which supplied the area with water had been completed, old and weak pipelines and taps still prevented water from getting to the people and gave the assurance that they would soon be replaced.

Madam Joyce Aidoo, Gomoa District Chief Executive expressed concern about migration of fishermen and fishmongers with their children who were in school to other parts of the country and beyond for fishing expeditions and said the situation disturbed children's education. "Please leave the children behind for them to have uninterrupted schooling," the DCE pleaded.

Nana Edwey XI, Chief of Mumford said the landing beach was so dear to the heart of the people that in 1978 they made a deposit of 10,000 pounds sterling with the National Redemption Council when the project was estimated at 30,000 pounds but it could not be started before the government left office.

The chief said currently the citizens could boast of about 220 fishing vessels but none was in the town because of the fear of windstorms, which had been destroying them due to the rocky nature of the beach. Nana Edwey said two citizens were adjudged the National Best Fishermen for 2003 and 2006 and added that, "that shows how serious my people are with the fishing industry." Mr Joe Hackman, Member of Parliament for Gomoa West assured the people that the government would honour the promises made to them. "We will not disappoint you," he said. 12 May 07