Regional News of Wednesday, 2 June 2004

Source: GNA

DCE attributes slow pace of development to problem with land

acquisition.

Kuntanase (Ash), June.2, GNA - Mr Bright Addai Mununkum, Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District Chief Executive, has attributed the slow pace of infrastructure development in the District to the cumbersome nature of land acquisition.

He said although the District was among the least developed, some chiefs and opinion leaders were not prepared to release lands to the Assembly for the construction of schools, health facilities, markets and other projects.

Even when the Assembly embarked on providing projects in the communities, some of them refused to pay their counter-part funds for the projects.

Expressing these sentiments at the first ordinary meeting of the Assembly at Kuntanase on Thursday, Mr Mununkum appealed to chiefs and opinion leaders in the various communities to assist the Assembly to acquire land for development projects so as to improve upon the living conditions of the people.

He stressed the need for the people to offer communal labour and pay their share of counter-part fund for the early completion of projects.

The DCE hinted that plans were far advanced for the commencement of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and that the Board was being formed after which the scheme would take off and called on the people to contribute their premiums.

Mr Mununkum said for the first quarter of the year, the Assembly collected 276.8 million cedis out of the targeted 1.227 billion cedis revenue for the year and gave the assurance that with the aggressive revenue mobilisation programme it had launched; the Assembly would achieve its target.

Mr J.K. Assuming, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, urged the members to be vigilant and to monitor development projects being undertaken in their areas to ensure that the contractors did not do shoddy work.

He also asked them to educate the people on Government policies. 2 June 04 ATTENTION RECIPIENTS: ITEM 10 ENDS OUR THIRD TRANSMISSION